Enduring suffering with joy (Proverbs 16-18; Romans 15)

Sports day is often a difficult day for those with disability. Our son (William) can’t walk, he’s great at throwing himself into everything that he can, but sports day isn’t a good day. Yesterday was sports day, today I read Proverbs 17:22

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

I am amazed at the joy and contentment the Lord gives to William. When I was his age, I would have sulked at losing a race nevermind not being able to compete at all. But yesterday the Lord showed me the truth of this Proverb “a joyful heart is good medicine.” I took William out bird-watching while the others did sports day. He had a great time, never complaining at what he couldn’t do, but delighting in God’s creation as we saw herons, wrens, jackdaws, seagulls, gannets and cormorants to name but a few! The joyful heart was indeed good medicine.

It would have been so easy to have a crushed spirit, thinking about what he was missing out on, but instead the Lord gave William a joyful heart. Where does such joy come from?

In our reading from Romans 15 Paul tells us he prays “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

(Romans 15:13).

The joy comes from God by the power of His Holy Spirit. William knows the joy of God working for His good even in his suffering. When he broke his leg last year, he read Romans 8 and was really struck by the fact that our present sufferings aren’t worth comparing with the glory that is to come. He knows his ultimate future is brilliant because Jesus has died for him, taken his sin, he knows God loves him and is working for his good. Rather than focusing on what he can’t do, he delights in what God gives him.

“A joyful heart is good medicine”

Please pray for this to continue for all of us, especially with various medical appointments that can crush the spirit.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.