Thursday, February 16, 2012

Finding Joy

The Lord has been reminding me to find joy amongst pain, just as he did so can I b/c He will never give me more than I can handle.

Laugh and the world laughs with you
Weep and you weep alone
For this sad old earth must borrow it's mirth
But it has troubles enough of its own

Sing and the hills will answer
Sigh it is lost in the air
The echos sound to a joyful sound
But shrink from voicing care

Feast and your halls are crowded
Fast and the world goes by
Succeed and give and it helps you live
But no man can help you die

In the halls of pleasure
There is room for a long and lofty train
But one by one we must all file
Through the narrow aisles of pain

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

At some point in high school I memorized this poem and have never forgotten it. It is a reminder to me of what the world tells us versus the truth. Yes, suffering is hard. Yes, struggling is hard. Yes, it may be a narrow aisle but we are never alone if we have Christ. We have hope. The other day we were talking about the church as the body, community and/or family. Are we really all of these or any of these to each other?I hope so but in a busy world how often do we take the time to show we care? Think about it, smile when you don't feel like it. You never know who might be weeping inside and might just laugh out in thankfulness for the small pleasures of joy!

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