Joy-stealers

Psalm 9

There are joy-stealers in life.
People who suck the life right out of you by their negativity, by lies, by selfish rudeness.
People have the power to do that to you.
Incredible, isn't it?
And yes, we can say they only have that power if we allow them to wield it.
While that is true, it also sets us up for a struggle.

Because people affect people.

People hurt you and you feel it.
People let you down and you experience the disappointment.
People rub you the wrong way and it chafes like sandpaper on your skin.

Hurt can often steal joy.
You feel so battered down that there doesn't seem to be room left for joyfulness.
You fall to your knees, weak, bruised and broken.

But what better place is there for joy to break through and make an entrance?
Into a broken heart.
Into a bitter soul.
Into an crushed and angry spirit.
When joy seems unreachable or unwanted.

But it's there all the time.
Available to us every day, in every situation.
There is joy in a smile.
There is joy in a handshake.
There is joy in the stars of the night sky.
There is joy whispering through a summer breeze.
There is joy in the colours and scents of spring flowers.
There is joy in the beauty of the winter snows.
There is joy in a loved one.
There is joy in God.
There is joy in salvation.
There is joy in thanks.

Psalm 9 verse 1-2 says ...

"I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of You. I will sing praises to Your name, O Most High." (NLT)

The marvelous things He has done includes the list of joy-filled things above.
And so many more.
From the seemingly small things like a smile, to the huge things like our salvation in Christ, it's all marvelous.
And worthy of our thanks.
We can even be thankful for those people ~ the joy-stealers ~ because in the end they can point us to God.
We can depend on His ability to place joy in our hearts despite the joy-stealers.
But we can also leave it with Him to place the joy in them too.

Because those who steal are only after something they don't have.

Even the joy-stealers need joy.

Lesson in the journey ... A thankful heart is a joy-filled heart.