ZPCBlog

About the author: Melanie Worzala is a senior at Zionsville High School. Melanie was baptized at ZPC as a baby and has been attending her whole life. She is active in HSM and volunteering with the programming for the younger children at ZPC. Melanie’s parents are Jeff and Angie, and her brother, Joey, is a sophomore.

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.
James 1:2-3 NIV

I think a common mix-up in today’s world is joy and happiness. It is important to acknowledge that joy is something that can only come from God. Joy is eternal. Happiness comes from earthly things. Happiness is temporary and will eventually fade.

It’s constantly hard for me to thank God, instead of asking for things. I think that’s true for most people though, as it is a lot easier to constantly ask for things or guidance in life. This is true for me especially in the season of life I am in right now. Every day, I am asking God to guide me in the right direction to choose a college that is right for me. It is also very easy to ask for things during a hard situation. But rather than asking “God, how can I get out of this?” we should be asking “God what can I learn in this?”

Throughout the last four years of my life, I have tried to thank God when things are hard. Let me tell you now, it’s been a challenge. It’s hard to find something to be thankful for when it feels like everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong. It’s been a challenge but since it is something I’ve prioritized getting better at, within the last few months, I’ve seen a difference. After a hard situation, I thank God for the opportunity to grow and learn. Not only have I noticed a change in my mindset, but I’ve also grown in my faith tremendously. By rejoicing you are growing in your faith in overcoming your fears and giving your worries to God.

What does all of this have to do with joy?

What a blessing it is to be thankful for the hard things! Knowing God will help us through trials should bring us an immense amount of joy. We never have to face anything alone because we have God on our side. You’ve probably heard this before, but it is such a true reminder that I want to share, “God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.” Because of this, we can have joy knowing that although we are facing hardships, God is greater than it all. And the joy that we get from him is our strength to continue each day. So, count it all joy.

Activity

Listen to the song Another in the fire by Hillsong UNITED. While listening, focus and think on the lyrics “I’ll count the joy come every battle, because I know that’s where you’ll be.” I’ve heard this song before, but I truly listened to the words for the first time last spring. I was almost in tears on the way to school listening to it. In a time that felt so hard, it was exactly what I needed to hear. I was reminded that I wasn’t alone, even if I felt that way. And just recently, I was listening to it when those lyrics above struck me and have continued to stick with me in my mind each day. God truly is amid it all and will not give us anything we can’t handle!

Prayer

Dear Lord,
Thank you for helping us through battles that feel impossible and for always being the light in the darkness. I pray we prioritize time with you during this busy advent season. I pray that we would also lean into you and rejoice in the hard times. Thank you for loving us and for giving your one and only son to save us. We love you!
In Jesus name, Amen

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