I’m happy. I accept that where I am is where I am supposed to be. The road was treacherous. I didn’t think I’d ever get here. Finally, I am here, the place I call happy.
If you’ve read previous blogs, you know the last few years have been anything but ideal. It seemed like every area of my life crashed down around me. I call it my season of “Job”.
Job, the most miserable book of the Bible, is what lead me to happy. Job’s life took a downward spiral at the hands of Satan. Satan believed the only reason people love God is because of God’s gifts. God told Satan to consider Job. God didn’t cause Job’s problems, but He removed His favor from Job. God told Satan he could do whatever (except for taking Job’s life) he wanted but Job would still love him. Poor Job. He lost his family, his wealth, his health, and even his friends. Job didn’t curse God. Still, he didn’t embrace his tragedies. Who could? He was broken by his heartaches. Who wouldn’t be? Aren’t we all broken in some way? In the end, Job realizes, God is greater, and God is faithful. His ways are not our ways and whatever happens, God is still God. In the face of pain beyond comprehension, God is still God.
God restores. God restored Job to better than ever. Jesus came so that we could have life and have it more abundantly. In our good days and our bad, God is God. In our seasons of prosperity, God is God. In our seasons of joy, God is God. In our seasons of Job, God is God. He is our Father and he will restore perfect peace to our soul.
Job, the book in the Bible, is spelled exactly like J-O-B, meaning work. Think about that. Job had to fully rely on God because he lost all control, his good behavior didn’t matter and, he lost all that his hands worked for. Once Job accepted that he was fully reliant on God, things began to change. In the worst season of Job’s life, the worst season of any human’s life, Job had to put others first. God told Job to pray for his friends. Job did, and then God blessed the work of Job's hands.
My life still has struggles, I’m not where I thought I would be, but God is restoring. My battles aren’t over, there are obstacles and heartache ahead. This isn’t a fairy tale and happily-ever-after doesn’t happen until Heaven. Regardless, my soul has peace and my heart is happy. I am where I am supposed to be. I am praying for my friends. (No matter how hard it is or has been: bitterness, jealousy, hate, envy, and other hard feelings destroy joy. We have to let that mess go.) God will bless my work and my increase will come from above.
I know what I said may seem to contradict itself. You might ask, “How can you be in the restoration process, face obstacles, know more heartache will come and still have perfect peace in your soul and be happy?
Peace & happiness during chaos is hard to explain. Imagine a warm day. It ’s the perfect temperature for you. It is lightly raining and there is a slight wind blowing. You look up in one corner of the sky and the sun sparkles. I love to stand in the rain on days like that. Sunshine in the rain is what peace and happiness during chaos are. God speaks through chaos.
There’s a song I’ve been listening to, it’s called Even If. Here’s the link:
It might bless you the way it has me.
Are you there yet? Are you at the place where I call happy? Are you in a place of peace for your soul and the acceptance that you are where you need to be? Remember, you can have sunshine and rain. "and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil, 4:7 NKJV
