Jim was madly in love. He had been off fighting the British in the war of independence, and his life had been spared. He had survived a close call, and he had been saved. Now, all he could think of was getting home to his beloved wife. By day he thought about her. By night, she was in his dreams.

        All that remained was crossing Laurel Mountain and he would hold her in his arms. Joy consumed him. Even the troubles he encountered crawling through the miles of the thick laurel bushes for which the Mountain was named could not lessen that joy. Even the many scratches from the briars that were everywhere did nothing to sway his anticipation. The only one who really mattered to him was on the other side of Laurel Mountain. The anticipation mounted. A grin was on his face, no matter what small obstacles confronted him. He endured the small sufferings for a little while, knowing the supreme joy that was his on the other side.

        You and I should be Jim. But are we? We, too, have been saved, and are on the last leg of the journey to be with the one we love. So, where is the joy?

        God’s Word tells us, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…” Hebrews 12:2. Jesus went through what He did “for the joy set before Him.” 

        So why are we not bubbling over with joy with what is ahead of us? We face a few laurel thickets or a briar or two and alas, woe is us. Maybe the problem is that we are way too short sighted. We look at the saving aspect of what we have been given, and we see that as the end. Dear reader, that is just the beginning. Jim didn’t stay on the battlefield where he was saved. No way. Jim’s joy was just beginning, and he knew it. He was on his way home to his beloved. You couldn’t wipe that grin off his face. No pesky briars could take away his joy.

        We should view the rest of our earthly lives the same way. Yes, we have been saved, but our beloved awaits us at the end of our walk home. We should be grinning like mules eating briars, not solemn and whiney because a little briar pricked us.

        The only place in the Bible that I have found where God actually tells us His will for our lives says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

        The first of the three things listed above in God’s will for our lives is that we be joyful always.

        OK. So let’s put smiles on our faces. And let’s leave them there, day and night. The world can be cranky, irritable, whiney and worried about every little thing. They deserve to be. They have no joy ahead of them.

        But as for us, we are on our way to joy unthinkable. We need to act like it. God expects no less from us.

                                                In Christ,  Bob