strength for today

"And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were rancomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable thirngs such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." 

1 Peter 1:17-19

sometimes, you just wake up in a mood

yesterday was one of those days for me

i woke up in a bit of a funk and spent most the day fighting it off

then, as i flipped through my instagram feed before going to bed, 

i ran into not one, but two encouraging posts

(talk about providence!)

the first one (from @whitneydarling) said, 

"Rise and shine sweet things! Many distractions may attempt to steal your joy, so I encourage you to guard it with both your heart and mind. Be alert, today's joy is for you! And it's yours to keep."

it reminded me that the joy of the Lord is my strength

and if i'm not intentional about it, Satan will certainly creep in there and take it

whether by distraction or mood or worry or fear or whatever it is that gets to you

because if you stop and think about it, 

no matter what the problem is, shifting focus to what really matters

to the Lord and what He has done in us and for us

makes everything else that once seemed so enticing or threatening suddenly seem...insignificant

the second post (from @jess_cudzilo's feed) built off of the same concept,

but also gave me a reminder that these kind of days happen to everyone

plus a living example of the best way to deal with them:

"Woke up this morning bummed out... sadness and disappointment and confusion. Clinging to the truth that God is sovereign not just on occasion and not just when things go my way, but in every detail of every minute. Leaning in, asking for Him to draw near and for fresh perspective. It's a new day."

 and just like that, my heart was encouraged

and the Lord reminded me that His mercies are new every morning

and they're there for us to enjoy!

friends, there is reason to rejoice 

in every situation

in every mood

in every new day

if you find yourself struggling to find joy, 

preach the Gospel to yourself

remind yourself of the good news - the great news

spend time in the Word, reminding your heart of the truth

and look around - there is evidence of grace everwhere:

new mornings,

sunshine, 

provision, 

beauty,

redemption...

...you were ransomed and that changes everything.