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The Gift of Joy

by | Apr 23, 2020 | College, Life Advice | 16 comments

Joy. Something that seems to be hard to find in times like this, but God has been laying this thought of joy on my heart over and over again throughout this quarantine. It seems as though everywhere we look our joy starts to diminish because our fear intensifies; places that used to be packed are now vacant, everyone is keeping a distance between themselves, when we go out everyone wears gloves and masks, we can’t even go visit loved ones for the fear of transmitting this virus. All of this fear of the uncertainty is taking what we are still able to do/have for granted, and I think that God wants to use this time to show us the joy that He provides when our lives seem to be put on hold.

At the beginning of the year nobody could have foreseen this year going like this. Speaking from my perspective, I was so excited to get back up to college and see all of my friends again and get geared up for the baseball season. Then the season ended just like that, we had just finished up a midweek game against Toledo on a Wednesday night. I remember hearing after the game that all fans were suspended, then the next morning the NBA was suspended, then we had a meeting about everything going on and found out our season was suspended until March 30th, and two hours later we got called back in and got the news that our season was cancelled. When everyone received the news that our season had been cancelled it was tough, the room was upset, the coaches, the staff, the players, it almost didn’t feel real.

Amidst all of the chaos, confusion, frustration and heartache, as I reflect back on this time while everything is shut down my life has become more simplistic. I am not constantly on the go from class to training to study hall, my days have slowed down and I have gotten to spend more time in the Word which has been such a blessing and that leads me to where I am at now. Getting to spend more time with God, and experience the joy that He continually provides, even in times of uncertainty. Hear me out, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good, even though we may not be able to see the good right now our God is working.

Sickness is not of God, Revelation 21:4 “​He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Our God is perfect, Psalm 18:30 “Everything God does is perfect”

Our God turns destruction into blessings. That is what I believe He will use this time as, a time to call his children back home. Psalm 22:27 “The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him. All the families of nations will bow down before Him.”

Our God is a transforming God, who turns water into wine, who turns grief into wonderful joy, who turns the sinners to believers! C’mon somebody if that doesn’t give you joy then I don’t know what will.

The best way to get through times of uncertainty, is to cling to things that are certain, and what do we have in our lives that are certain besides God? And what do we know for certain about God? We know that “​the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.​” Galatians 5:22. Knowing this, we know that God is good and we are to hold tightly to what is good, even through the tribulations. Finding joy in times like these are tough, but when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus we will experience an “abundance of joy” John 16:24, “a joy that no one can you rob of” John 16:22.

During this time of isolation we need to shift our minds from what we don’t have or can’t do anymore and shift our hearts and mind towards thankfulness. When we posture our heart and mind towards a state of thankfulness, it keeps our mind on the positive, a simple way to to finding the light in dark times as such is to focus on the light. To always be grateful, no matter the situation James 1:2-3 “​Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Continue to praise Him, continue to trust in Him, and experience the joy that our God will deliver in times of such uncertainty.

I pray that to whoever reads this that God will bring an overwhelming blanket of joy over you and your loved ones. That in this time we don’t run from God because of our confusion or frustration, but that it actually draws us closer into Him. He makes his joy available to all who call upon him. It says in Psalm 22:26 “All who seek the Lord will praise Him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.” I pray that many of us experience this joy, and allow it pour out of us.

TYJ☺

Chance Huff, a Niceville, Florida native, is a rising Junior at Vanderbilt University where he plays baseball. A huge fan of The Office and all things food, you can find him enjoying time with friends, family (including brother Christian and sister-in-law, Sadie), and encouraging people toward Jesus.  

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16 Comments

  1. Sarah

    I love this so much Chance! Thank you so much for sharing, it really encourged me! God bless!

  2. celina ruscica

    Thank you for your post on joy it was helpful and I loved that a lot of the words that were said were backed up with awesome scripture, that is the way to do it for sure.

  3. Sophia

    Thank you for sharing the good news of JOY! 🙂 A much needed and beautiful message.

  4. Larissa Seibt

    woah !! so good! finding joy in all the little things all the time is such a great way to live! love all of this! thank you for the great message Chance and a great reminder of everything to find gratitude in that God shows us each day. He is love!

  5. Joscelyn Medina

    So encouraging!!
    What a great reminder that the presence of the Lord is an open door. Feeling grateful for this time, and the opportunity to experience and LIVE in his joy.
    THANK YOU JESUS.

  6. Artemis Xenick

    Wow…this is so so good!! I really need to hear this today. Our God is so good!

  7. Mary Claire Aitken

    Hi there! My name is Mary Claire. I’ve been a Christian for about 2 years now and reading your post brings me so so much joy. You inspire me! I wish there were more people around like you. Thanks for sharing:)

  8. Amelia

    Wow. Love everything about this message. So simple, so truthful. Love it.

  9. Morgan

    wow… so good!!

  10. Santana Anderson

    How refreshing. What a good reminder of God’s love and goodness. Thanks for your wisdom in God’s word and for sharing your heart with us all. I am truly blessed to have read this post and am grateful for God’s truth. It is freeing!!

  11. Chloe Hogue

    Chance, this is amazing!! Seriously your words are so encouraging and refreshing during this time. Thanks for being a champion for Jesus 🙂

  12. Chrisitna Basara

    Very Inspiring read! It gets straight to the point that joy comes from our God and he reveals it through some of the simplest things.

  13. Tatum

    This is so awesome!! Thank you for sharing your heart with the world, Chance. I think Jesus takes times like this that pull us away from every distraction in order for us to see Him with our full focus. In the weakest of times for our nation, there’s hope for the strongest of faith to come out of it. Sometimes the worst of things can bring out the biggest blessings. I think we’re all living through one of those times. Thank you for your encouragement! Bless you and your fam!

  14. MK

    Love this message. I will be passing on to my daughter and others! Blessings!

  15. Jada

    Thanks for this encouragement I love what you said about fear intensifying and in turn Joy diminishes, and I love that you spoke on God as being continual. It just got me thinking that God doesn’t stop even when it seems that this world has seemingly been put on pause. Thank you also for inspiring my blog for tomorrow on the theme of the only way to get through the unknown is to REST in what is known. He is known and in turn knows us. So I encourage you Chance/whoever moderates comments you are known by a known God. Psalm 139

  16. Reilly Baker

    During these uncertain times it nice to hear someone talk about spreading positivity. Chance you said it best that we need to shift our minds from what we don’t have to what we do. I have also been trying to spend this time being appreciative for those around me and the time I have gotten to spend with my family. Thanks for sharing this message!

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