Joy—It’s easy to have joy when life is going our way, but when things go amiss, it can feel like we are grasping at the wind for it. Problems and pain are like a nagging splinter in your hand that seems to whisper to you every time your hand touches something. It continually reminds you that . . . you have a problem!
Our focus quickly shifts from living in joy, to living with a microscope centered on our concern. It simply becomes all we see and naturally, we try to resolve it.
There it is in our cross hairs. We can see the issue, and we want it to be over and gone just as fast as it appeared.
Seeing the problem is easy.
Seeing beyond the problem and the pain is another story.
Physical pain in our body, or emotional pain, is not always fixed quickly. When chronic illness or emotional hurts seem longer than a marathon, it is important and vital to our health to focus on other joyful things around us and ahead of us.
Jesus understands what we are going through and I believe his heart would say, “Look at the joy before you and around you.” “For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame.”(Heb 12:2b)
By the time Jesus was hanging on the cross, he had been beaten brutally, and I imagine He was covered in blood and drenched in pain. Physically, they beat Him up, and mentally, they tried to tear him down, but…”For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.”
As He faced the hurt and pain, He was thinking about something beyond that.
He was thinking about you.
He was thinking about the joy it would be to set the sons and daughters of God free—to free us from the effects of sin and its detriments and to free us from hopelessness. On that cross, Jesus became our hope.
For that joy, he endured. His mind was fixed on something further ahead. He thought beyond the present time and circumstance.
Keeping our mind fixed on something further ahead is a key to pushing us through our current circumstance. Live in today, don’t worry about tomorrow, but look ahead to the joy set before you. No matter how dark the clouds may be today, there is joy ahead. Even if things seem to get bumpier or darker, hold on to the promises of God and claim them over your life.
He is here for you, and He understands your pain. He will help your mind stay at peace, and when darkness tries to claim your mind, the blood of Jesus on the cross cries out much louder and stronger than darkness. We can take authority over our minds and ask God to help our focus to be on Him and his promises.
Having the mind of Christ is a privilege of every Christian. “I have the mind of Christ”( 1Cor 2:16) is something that I have my girls say ten times each night after prayers are done. We end the day knowing that we really do have the mind of Christ. In His mind there is no fear and, there is no worry. In His mind, we can have peace and focus on the joy set before us.
We may not even know what that “joy” will look like, but if we trust that God can bring redemption for every bad thing and can bring some good out of the arrows that have come against us, then we really do win.
And as we know, in the end, we do win. Our focal point is crucial.
6 Ways to Think Beyond the Pain:
- God does care about what is going on in your life. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
- Jesus understands what you are going through, and He has compassion for you. Even when others seem oblivious to your pain, He understands.
- Everyday will not be like today.
- Stand on a personal promise you feel God has given you and remind God of that promise in His word.
- Focus on others.
- See the beauty around you. Ask God to show you things that you have never seen before.
- Smile, even when you don’t feel like it. It release endorphins that can change your mood and release stress.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. … The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:1-5, 7
Prayer: Lord, what I am going through is so hard, but I want to have joy even before this problem is solved. The joy of the Lord is my strength and I confess that I have the mind of Christ. Help me to think beyond my situation and help me to stay positive. I choose today to keep my joy, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
