Joy in Jesus

    In earlier articles I shared about two beautiful individuals that are now in eternal glory. I shared about their lives because they are such great examples to us about living in the joy of Jesus despite great difficulties, handicaps, and the decaying of the body. I shared about a dear old lady who was so crooked she was nearly bent over to the ground. Yet, her toothless smile seemed to light up her whole face when you saw her and each week she looked forward with great anticipation to attending church. I also shared about a blind man who, despite obvious limitations on what he could accomplish in life, took into his home and under his guidance about 36 village kids to help them get an education.

    Recently I read an article from Fox News, written by Caleb Parke, about a physically deformed Indonesian girl named Nia. Because of a rare congenital condition called Apert Sydrome, Nia has no fingers or toes and looks different from other kids. The article stated that “Despite being bullied because of her physical appearance, Nia is full of joy and changing the way her community cares for others.” Her parents tell her daily that she is “God’s gift and not a creation of any man”.  If you are interested to read that full Fox News story, you can check it out at https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/girl-god-jesus-perfect-joy.

    How is it possible that people like the crooked grandmother, blind Father Matheos, deformed and bullied Nia, and many others like them, can find joy, peace and surprising strength despite the great hardships that they face? Is it because, as many atheists claim, they use religion as a crutch to help them?  My dear friends, if you think about crutches, you will soon realize that this claim must be false. A crutch is useful and helpful to someone who has a broken leg or other physical problem, but I have never gotten the impression that a crutch brings joy or peace or strength. It is more accurate to say that a crutch merely helps the user “manage”. It is clear to me that the truth sets people like the crooked grandmother, Father Matheos, and Nia free. They were / are able to rise above their difficult circumstances because they know that they were created by God with a purpose, that they have been bought with Jesus’ precious blood, and that they have a beautiful future awaiting them!

    David says in Psalm 16:11, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Paul says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” I think that the crooked grandmother, Father Matheos, and Nia were filled with joy because of God’s presence in their lives, and because they trusted in Him. May you and I experience that same joy, peace and hope!

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