THE JOYFUL LIFE
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • HEART
      • Faith
      • Bible Study & Theology
      • Marriage
      • Motherhood
        • Motherhood (ALL)
        • Parenting Toddlers to Tweens
        • Parenting Teens
        • Parenting Adult Children
        • Raising Boys
        • Raising Girls
      • Divorce | Single Motherhood | Blended Families
      • Adoption & Foster Care
      • Infertility & Miscarriage
      • Friendship & Community
    • HOME
      • DIY Projects
      • Family & Home Management
      • Fun for Kids
      • Homemaking
      • Homeschool
      • Hospitality
      • Recipes
    • LIFE ISSUES
      • Anxiety
      • Difficult Family Dynamics
      • Emotions
      • Health
      • Identity & Purpose
      • Loss | Suffering | Grief
      • Work & Life Balance
    • REVIEWS
      • App Reviews
      • Book Reviews
      • Product Reviews
    • FEATURED INTERVIEWS
    • SEASONAL & HOLIDAY
  • Daily Devotions
  • About
    • Meet the Team
      • Management & Staff
      • Editorial Team
      • Blog Contributors
      • Devotion Writers
      • Photographers
    • Statement of Faith
  • Work with Us
    • Write for Us
    • Advertise
    • Employment
  • Contact
  • account
The Joyful Life News
Sign up to receive Joyful Life Community news, weekly blog post updates, shop announcements, and more.
A QUARTERLY COLLECTIBLE | Heart & Home Inspiration
THE JOYFUL LIFE
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • HEART
      • Faith
      • Bible Study & Theology
      • Marriage
      • Motherhood
        • Motherhood (ALL)
        • Parenting Toddlers to Tweens
        • Parenting Teens
        • Parenting Adult Children
        • Raising Boys
        • Raising Girls
      • Divorce | Single Motherhood | Blended Families
      • Adoption & Foster Care
      • Infertility & Miscarriage
      • Friendship & Community
    • HOME
      • DIY Projects
      • Family & Home Management
      • Fun for Kids
      • Homemaking
      • Homeschool
      • Hospitality
      • Recipes
    • LIFE ISSUES
      • Anxiety
      • Difficult Family Dynamics
      • Emotions
      • Health
      • Identity & Purpose
      • Loss | Suffering | Grief
      • Work & Life Balance
    • REVIEWS
      • App Reviews
      • Book Reviews
      • Product Reviews
    • FEATURED INTERVIEWS
    • SEASONAL & HOLIDAY
  • Daily Devotions
  • About
    • Meet the Team
      • Management & Staff
      • Editorial Team
      • Blog Contributors
      • Devotion Writers
      • Photographers
    • Statement of Faith
  • Work with Us
    • Write for Us
    • Advertise
    • Employment
  • Contact
  • account
0

Count it All Joy

  • Ginger McPherson
  • February 23, 2022
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

The last conversation I had with my mother before she died was about picking blackberries that grew wild in the fields out behind our farmhouse. We talked about picking them by the bucketful. We talked about those delicious cobblers she would make with heaping cups of sugar. We also talked about all the scratches our arms would have to endure to retrieve each plump and juicy berry after reaching into the thorny brambles, deep under the vines where the biggest and best could be found.

For some reason, that conversation about blackberries has become a kind of metaphor for me for the realities of life. After all, the best blackberries rarely come thorn-free (am I right?), just as a spiritually fruitful life rarely exists without the presence of thorn-filled circumstances—pain, heartbreak, difficulty, even death. We have to learn as Christians to “count it all joy,” knowing that joy is not the absence of sorrow but the activation of faith and hope in the midst of sorrow. Of course, with heaping cups of soul-soothing grace mixed in as well.

James 1:2-3 says: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

And steadfastness is our goal. We want patient resolve and honest acceptance that God rights every wrong and makes “all things new” in His time (Revelation 21:5). I wish I could undo my mother’s death and have a thousand conversations with her about all kinds of things, but right now, I deliberately choose joy and gratitude for our final blackberry-picking conversation. And I count it all joy that I had her for all my childhood years (many don’t have that luxury).

What challenging circumstance is God asking you to count as joy today? It’s okay if you’re not quite there yet. You will be. God will take your hand through the valley and lead you into fields of joy in due season. Just keep holding tightly to Him.

1
0
0
0
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
Ginger McPherson

Ginger McPherson is a writer, Bible teacher, and pastor’s wife in Oklahoma who traded her busy life as a college professor for a spaghetti-stained apron and the full-time role of stay-at-home mom for her three littles (7, 5, and 3). When she’s not trying out a new recipe or attempting to grow vegetables in her modest suburban backyard, you can find her scribbling down words, one at a time wherever she can. Her passion and prayer are for God to use those words to encourage others by filling them with His hope, faith, and immeasurable grace. To read more, check out her website at glmcpherson.com or follow her on Instagram.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

TRENDING POSTS
  • Good manners 1
    We Don’t Talk That Way in Our House: Teaching Kids Good Manners
  • How do i forgive myself 2
    How Do I Forgive Myself for My Mistakes in Parenting in Light of Grace?
  • Personal bible study 3
    How to Transform Your Personal Bible Study Time With An Easy Perspective Shift
  • Valentine’s day with kids 4
    6 Unique Ideas for Celebrating Valentine’s Day With Kids
  • Prayers for a broken marriage 5
    5 Prayers for a Broken Marriage: Praying Scripture For a Hurting Heart
RSS Daily Devotions
  • Find Your Way Free March 23, 2023
  • Seeing Your Samaria March 22, 2023
  • One Day, It Will Be March 21, 2023
  • Called Beyond My Ability March 20, 2023
  • Looking in the Right Place March 17, 2023
VISIT OUR SHOP
  • The CULTIVATE Issue | The Joyful Life Magazine Issue 04 | CULTIVATE | Fall 2019
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $28.00
  • THE GOOD SHEPHERD | Digital Bible Study $12.00
  • The Joyful Life | Heart and Home Inspiration Everyday Joy | Volume 3 | A Collection of 100 Devotions $24.00
The Secret Society of Salzburg Book Cover
The Joyful Life News
Sign up to receive Joyful Life Community news, weekly blog post updates, shop announcements, and exclusive offers for our subscribers.
Follow Us on Instagram

AMAZON AFFILIATE PROGRAM DISCLAIMER | The Joyful Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Every purchase you make through our Amazon affiliate links supports our ministry at no additional cost to you.

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • WRITE FOR US
  • EMPLOYMENT
  • ADVERTISE
  • Terms
  • ACCOUNT
  • Contact
© 2022 The Joyful Life Co., LLC

Input your search keywords and press Enter.