For His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

Lately, I have been thinking of the bad in every situation, instead of the good. I let myself get so consumed with things that I have absolutely no control over. I get so upset over the little things in life that I don't stop to think about how big I am blessed. Things could be a little bit better, but a whole lot worse. Sometimes I have to remember that if I have done absolutely all I can do to fix the situation, then I just need to be still and give the rest to Him.

We all experience pain, sadness, brokenness, and weakness at some point in our life. I have to constantly remind myself that life might not be good every day, but God still is. Joy is experienced when we allow ourselves to really recognize how good we actually have it. If I let myself focus on the "what ifs" in life, then I am never going to turn the "what ifs" into "what is." And the sooner I choose joy in "what is," the sooner I am going to feel peace in what God is doing in my life. Joy is being able to see God's goodness and grace, even when life is hard and messy.

There are two ways to respond to all the tough stuff that life throws at you: 1. Let your troubles consume you and spend way too much time trying to fix things on your own. Or 2. Be brave and choose joy, and respond to life with God's help.

Even through the hard and mess times, God is still there. I think that trials are tests of faith. God gives us troubles to see if we will react and come to Him, or try and tackle everything alone. We can try to fix our problems on our own, but a lot of times we end up making everything worse and ending up hurt and confused. I have learned that letting God gives you so much more peace, understanding, and joy. Sure, sometimes are more troubling than others, and joy does not always come overnight. But if we try to figure everything out alone, we might ever know the feeling of joy. God gives us big mountains to prove to others that they CAN be moved.

So next time you are in pain and feel like you will never feel joy, remember that God will provide. You may not see a change tomorrow morning, or even a week from now, but joy is coming soon.

Be joyful always. Pray at all times. Be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)