Count it all Joy

I sit here with instrumental music playing in my earbuds, trying to drown out some of the surrounding sounds of this late night. Part of me wants to pour my heart out on this page, just let the tapping of the keys flow with the rhythm of the music and say it how it is, but then I realize that it wouldn't help me any. It wouldn't gain me any knowledge nor understanding. You all would see it, and maybe even have some encouraging comments, but if I'm coming here for understanding and guidance, I'm looking in the wrong place.

I'm in a phase of my life where I'm the happiest I've ever been, but at the same time I'm the most expected of that I've ever been.
Responsibility is a funny thing; you have to know when to speak and when to listen. Happiness is a funny thing; you have to know how to savor it because in a moment it can be gone, and then you're suddenly back to responsibility and knowing what is best for the situation.

The trick is to remain joyful. Having joy doesn't necessarily mean you're happy. In my opinion, joy is a state of being, more than the limits of a simple feeling. It is a lifestyle. 

But there we are again. Joy is a funny thing.
To remain joyful is to know that you are not in control, yet know the best is yet to come. Remaining joyful is knowing that The Lord is giving you this trial of "stepping up to the plate", as some call it, this time of responsibility and doing what is right, not what is comfortable, for the sake of growth in your heart, and growth in Him.

I return to where I said that I'd be looking in the wrong place. Here you are reading this and I hope you are encouraged, but not in me. Take your encouragement to read The Gospel more, gain in Understanding and Diligence, and know when to turn to Him, and not only to a friend.

You see, we have all these little reminders of His goodness to us like Psalm 27:13-14. Little reminders to remain in joy. Subtle, yet so powerful.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert on remaining in joy. I struggle everyday. Every night when the world is asleep, I lie there and wonder how I can be so abundantly blessed, yet so overwhelmed at the same time.

It's a beautiful thing, really.

So no, I won't poor my heart's burdens out on these keys for you to peruse over in a matter of seconds, just for you to move on and be none the wiser. I will simply say Be Strong, Take Heart, Wait on The Lord. I need to learn this lesson as much as the next guy, but acknowledging the task is the first step to mastering the skill.

Grace and Peace,
~Hananiah.