Today I am joining the gang at Five Minute Friday’s at Kate Motaung’s blog. The word for today is JOY. Five Minutes-Free Writing-No excessive Edits
Go:
“The Joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Joy: it is the name of friends.
It is the word on one of my favorite teacups.
We see it plenty of times at Christmas.
Joy is something we all want to feel, but like all feelings it comes and it goes.
Much sought after and hard to hold on to; joy weaves itself in and out of my life. I wish I could say that joy is a feeling that I find myself in possession of frequently.
Joy is not really just a feeling. According to Nehemiah 8:10 it is the source of our strength.
Wow, strength is a word that I think I need even more than I need joy. I am beginning physical therapy this week. I have been run down with health problems and I need to keep my muscles strong while I heal. Strength is what I really need. The Word of God tells me that joy leads to strength.
Stop:
The Word tells us that finding our joy in the presence of the Lord is the ultimate strength.
pilgrim journey through life 
I’m your neighbor at Five-Minute Friday today, and I’ve struggled with this all my life, I think. Everyone wants to feel joy, and I’m not naturally a bubbly or extroverted person. You’re right, though- joy is more than a feeling, and it has to come from a deeper place…from the knowledge that God is always with us, whether or not we can feel anything. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Peace to you as you work through physical therapy. You’ll be in my prayers!
Thank you for stopping by and the kind prayers! I think the only lasting joy is from the peace of knowing God. I loose my joy/feeling all too often. I need to remind myself regularly that knowing Christ’s love is enough. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
What a sweet thought, that joy leads to strength! Isn’t God kind?
Thank you, God is so kind. It is the best kind of strength-His strength.
Amy, the verse you focus on here is a personal favourite of mine. And I can testify to receiving the joy of the Lord in adversity. May you know the comforting strength of His presence as you heal. God is faithful. I have to look to Him on a daily basis for energy and strength. By the way, as well as joy being my given name, I also have friends who share it and a mug sitting in my cupboard with ‘Joy’ and the verse from Nehemiah above written on it! Stay strong in Him, my friend. 🙂 x