Advent 2022 – Day 10
Tuesday, December 6th
Finding Joy in the Lord
By Todd Mullholand/ Season of life: 48, Husband, Dad, Reader & Podcast-Listener
Scripture
Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up
your face to God. ~ Job 22:26
“What’s the fruit of the Spirit you struggle with the most?” This was a question I
asked a friend on a summer mission trip when I was in college. That friend told me they struggled with love the most. My answer was joy. At that point, I had rededicated my life to the Lord about 5-6 years earlier, but I hadn’t really grown much in my spiritual development nor had I experienced much joy. My Christian journey thus far seemed to be more about rules rather than a relationship.
Going on the mission trip for the whole summer was a huge leap of faith for me. God used an internship and a friend, who’d already been on this mission trip, to get me there. After the mission trip was over, I definitely didn’t experience much joy. In fact, I experienced a deep depression. It followed me throughout my fall semester in college.
But, I noticed a change was happening as well. A spiritual change was occurring. My perspective and purpose was different from what it was before the summer mission trip. My relationship with God was growing, and my desire for his Word was maturing. I could sense God speaking to me. A LOT! In fact, it got to the point where I needed to write everything down that He was saying to me. This was the birth of my spiritual journaling.
By the early spring semester of that school year, I began to encounter a joy in the Lord that I hadn’t experienced before. While developing this advent devotion, I decided to look back in my journal from that time period, to see if I had mentioned anything about joy. Sure enough, I found a statement that I made. It said, “The Lord is bringing me joy! Being in unison with the Spirit is awesome!” That season in life was definitely a turning point for me. It opened my eyes to see and experience joy in the Lord more clearly.
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for allowing me to experience that joy in a time of my life that I needed it most. My prayer is that when we realize who you are, and what you did for us, our response would be joy. Because only you can satisfy. I pray this in your name and for all your children. Amen.
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Reflections
Take a moment to read Galatians 5:22-23. What’s the fruit of the Spirit you struggle with the most?
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In what ways could you more intentionally cultivate this fruit into your daily tasks?
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Todd’s mission trip in college was a “spiritual marker” in his life, a time when his relationship with the Lord began to grow in a new way. Think of your spiritual life throughout the years. What are a few “spiritual markers” in your own life?
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Lord God, may I “repeat the sounding joy” of who You are today!