No kid ever says, “Well, it’s summer. Fine, but in a few months I’ll be back in school. I’ll probably have even more homework. What if it’s too hard?“ No! They’re just happy to be there! They’re doing cartwheels!

Chances are you and I won’t be doing cartwheels anytime soon, but don’t we sometimes put a wet blanket on joy by letting our minds digress to that dark place of dread, doubt, and doom? “Sure, I know God loves me, but what about my job? My marriage? My acne?”

We have many reasons to worry. But God gives more reasons for joy!

Nehemiah 8:10 says “The joy of the Lord is our strength!”

In fact, a song on repeat in my head been the 1992 Twila Paris song, “The Joy of the Lord.”

“The joy of the Lord will be my strength. I will not falter; I will not faint. He is my shepherd; I am not afraid. The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

Frustrated? Lonely? Hurt? The joy of the Lord is your strength! So go to Him often!

And His joy is reciprocal. Because when we go to Him, it gives Him joy, too.

It’s a mutual joy-fest!