Planting Joy

"Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

Know this: you can have JOY even in weakness, exhaustion and sorrow! Yes, it is true! This is not some kind of forced smile on your face, but joy that radiates from the inside - from our secret place, the garden of your heart where you meet with Me hourly, daily. 

I know this still confuses your rational mind. There is a lingering "martyr syndrome" buried deep in your heart. This part of you craves others' pity and sympathy for what you are going through, and admiration for how you are coping with it. This is sinful, prideful and ugly to Me. It is the part of you that tells you to put on a "brave face" - so long as it is one that shows how brave you are being. You must be serious...RUBBISH! 

I want to tear this poisonous weed out by the roots! I want to do a new work in you. I want to plant joy deep within you. Beautiful, unshakeable, abiding joy. My joy, which will give you strength for every difficulty you face, whether big or small. Joy that will grow up in you and flower over and over - petals falling and fragrance spreading into the lives of those you meet each day.