Joy Robber

February 9, 2019

There’s nothing we can do about the situation except pray. Or worry. 

Linda and I were feeling a bit out of sorts with each other today. Though we couldn’t put our finger on it, things just didn’t feel right. It felt to both of us that the other was upset, and we couldn’t figure out why. As we talked, concerns we have about people and circumstances over which we have little control surfaced. It’s never good when external circumstances cause internal strife. 

We talked about worry. Where is the line that separates concern and worry? It occurred to me that we have crossed over into worry when our concern robs us of our joy. I could be wrong, but it makes sense to me. Yesterday I wrote about the tragic and evil alliance with death our culture is forging in its headlong pursuit of unlimited abortion. Our culture has gone mad with absurdity, insisting that objective biological realities take a back seat to subjective feelings, to the point of being enshrined in law. Even speaking in support of objective reality regarding one’s biological identity is now in places punishable by law. 

The problem comes when we get so involved fighting the good fight of faith that we forfeit faith in the process. Whenever we speak or act out of desperation, we are not speaking or acting in faith, but in fear. And fear always strikes its first blow against joy. So tonight in the midst of all sorts of situations that are worrisome, I choose the joy that comes from knowing Christ, and in knowing him, knowing that no matter how hard the storm blows, the One whose breath whipped the waves into a frenzy is also the One who with another breath whispers, “Peace; be still;” and the wind ceases and the waves become calm.