S9.19 | The True Meaning of Joy During Trials and Suffering
In today's challenging conversation Carla dives into the complex and often misunderstood topic of finding joy amidst life's trials. Carla shares a difficult conversation with one of her clients who is grappling with chronic pain and highlights the common struggle many face in reconciling joy with suffering.
Through biblical insights and personal reflections, Carla helps us understand that true, godly joy isn't dependent on our external circumstances. Instead, it's rooted in an eternal perspective and a steadfast heart posture that trusts in God's salvation and strength.
Tune in and be encouraged to embrace a heart posture of joy, even in your darkest seasons, knowing that God is with you and for you. Grab your favorite cup of tea and join us for an episode filled with hope, faith, and the affirmation that your struggles have a divine purpose.
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Key Takeaways
Understanding Godly Joy:
Joy is not dependent on external circumstances but is rooted in an eternal perspective.
It's about finding strength and solace in your faith, not necessarily exhibiting outward happiness.
Joy as a Heart Posture:
Joy is a steadfast inner assurance and strength given by the Holy Spirit.
This heart posture is more about enduring trials with hope rather than displaying outward indicators of happiness.
Affirming Truth:
Carla leaves listeners with a powerful affirmation inspired by Habakkuk: "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
This affirmation encourages maintaining a joyful heart posture rooted in faith and trust in God's character and promises.
Connect With Carla:
Foundations to Healing—-> https://www.carlaarges.com/foundations-of-healing
Inquire about 1:1 coaching ---> carlaagreswellness@gmail.com
Come hangout on IG with me @carlaarges
Check out the blog
Resources:
5 Steps to Building Resiliency
Affirming Truths Facebook Community
5 Tips for Overcoming a Negative Body Image
Who You Say I Am Biblical Affirmation Cards
TRANSCRIPT
Carla Arges [00:00:08]:
Hey friends, welcome to affirming truths. I'm your friend and host, Carla Arges. This show is a safe place to share our struggles, grow in faith, and root our identity in Christ. My hope is that you will leave each episode feeling encouraged in your journey. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. And it would mean the world to me if you would leave a review. I am so glad you're here. Let's get started.
Carla Arges [00:00:35]:
Hey friends, welcome to affirming truth. I am your host. I am your friend. I am your cheerleader. I am your coach. I am here for you and lifting you up in prayer always. I'm Carla, and I'm so glad you're here today. This past week, I have been in difficult conversations with one of my one on one clients, and the conversation has been around joy.
Carla Arges [00:01:04]:
She is really struggling with chronic pain, really struggling, and has been for at least a year now, really struggling to find a diagnosis for what is ailing her and causing her all of these problems. It has been difficult. There is no hiding the fact that it has been hard. This season has been hard on her. This season has felt like there's no end, right? Like, it's hard for her to see the light at the end of the tunnel, because right now she's still in the middle of the tunnel, there's no light. And it's a really, really hard. And maybe you can relate to that. Maybe your struggle isn't with chronic pain or chronic illness, but maybe it is with chronic mental health struggles or this attempt that you're making to heal from trauma and move forward in your life.
Carla Arges [00:02:09]:
And it just feels like it's one step forward, two steps back. And it just feels like there's no end in sight, that you just keep getting hit and knocked down time and time again. And we're called, as christians, to be joyful. And I know that this has been a real hard concept for my client to wrap her head around. Like, how can I be joyful? I'm in the midst of the pain. There's no end to this. I'm exhausted. I'm weary.
Carla Arges [00:02:43]:
I've been praying. I haven't had answer to prayer. How am I just supposed to have joy? And I think a couple of things. One, I think there's a big misconception of what joy is in the christian walk, particularly what it looks like now. We know that joy, or I hope we know, I'm going to reaffirm this with you guys. Joy is not based on our external circumstances. Right? So obviously, in the midst of pain and suffering and sorrow and loss, we're not going to be inspired to joy based on our external circumstances. But godly joy is based on an eternal perspective, not an external perspective.
Carla Arges [00:03:40]:
Right. I. Our joy is in our salvation. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Here's the thing, though, and I think this is what people sometimes get stuck on. We're used to seeing joy expressed externally, or at least we're used to seeing happiness expressed externally. And we kind of think, like, that's what joy is supposed to be like. If I really have the joy of the Lord, then I'm smiling and I'm sailing through life, and I'm upbeat, I'm happy.
Carla Arges [00:04:16]:
I have a smile on my face, right? You know, that is this picture of joy. And certainly that joy does exist. We see in the Bible, David, so full of joy, dancing, throwing his cloth off, being inappropriate by society standards, just wrapped up in the joy of the Lord, right? Seeing the ark of the covenant return. What a joyful occasion. Yes, we see external expressions of joy even in hard times. Paul and Silas in prison, in chains, yet their heart is turned towards the Lord in singing and praising. And we have these great expressions of external representation of joy. But that's not the only thing joy looks like.
Carla Arges [00:05:05]:
For joy to exist in hard times means that joy can actually look solemnous. I really believe that. You know the scripture, the joy of the Lord is my strength. Guys, why do we need strength? Because we're weak. When do we need strength the most? When we are going through difficult times. Guys, when I'm working out, if you follow me on Instagram and I share my workout videos, you don't see joy on my face. I'm working on my strength. I am building strength, and that takes concentrated effort.
Carla Arges [00:05:48]:
Inside, I'm joy, joyful inside, I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to move my body inside. I'm grateful for how my body is showing up. For me inside, I'm grateful for all these things. But the external expression on my face when I'm lifting heavy weights is not a smile and singing and dancing and lighthearted. Building strength is concentration and work. But joy can exist in those solemn moments. Joy can exist in those solemn moments. In romans 1212, it says, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be consistent in prayer.
Carla Arges [00:06:34]:
This does not say, do a song and a dance and pretend that you fart sparkles. Right? Rejoice in hope. We need a hope because we're living in trying times. Be patient in tribulation. Patience also usually involves deep concentration and deep commitment, constant in prayer. When I'm contending in my difficult seasons, my prayer life is not all, you know, smiles and laughter, and yet it is the hope that I have in Christ that gives me that surety of joy. James, one, two says, count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, it is the testing of your faith that produces perseverance. Count it all joy when you meet trials.
Carla Arges [00:07:38]:
Guys, when we meet trials, it is hard. Listen, Jesus was the full embodiment of everything that God calls us to, okay? Jesus was the full embodiment of everything God calls us to. And it says, for the joy set before him, he went to the cross. Do you think he was smiling while he was dragging that cross up Calvary? Do you think he was smiling when he was getting flogged? Do you think he was smiling as the nails got driven into his hands and he hung on the cross? When he got a spear, spears foot in his side, do you think he was smiling? And yet he had joy. And yet he had joy. He had joy in going to the cross, knowing that it would produce freedom for us. A joy was a position of his spirit. Joy was a position of his heart.
Carla Arges [00:08:54]:
It does not always look like David dancing in the streets. Jesus, for the joy set before him went to the cross. This is the joy that we need to tap into when we are in trials and tribulations. It's that joy, the joy for what's set before us, the joy of what we know is coming, the joy in our salvation. Right? We know that the fruit of the Spirit, one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy in Galatians 522 tells us, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self control. Joy is a fruit of the spirit. Joy is not something that we manufacture on our own, but it is the indwelling Holy Spirit in us that equips us to that joy, that steadfast joy that stands firm even in the face of trial. See, God does not require something of us that he will not provide for us.
Carla Arges [00:10:03]:
God is the source of our joy. We don't have to manufacture it. We don't have to pretend it exists. We don't have to fake a smile on the hard stuff. The Holy Spirit will give us that joy, and that joy is our strength to endure the trial, knowing that our victory is in Christ, knowing from an eternal perspective that this trial has already been overcome. I may be walking through it right now, but there is an end, and it's a glorious end. And I will be glorified together with Christ in heaven one day. Proverbs, 1722 tells us a joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up bones.
Carla Arges [00:10:52]:
A joyful heart is good medicine, friend. You can have joy in your pain right now. God isn't expecting your joyous to look like happiness. God isn't expecting your joy in the midst of trial to be all smiles. You can be contending and praying. You can be taking your lament to God. You can be in lament. And still the posture of your heart is joy.
Carla Arges [00:11:29]:
That even though this trial has come, I know I have the victory. Even though I walk through this path, even though I'm in the valley of, of the shadow of darkness, I fear no evil. God has gone before me and made a way. God will work this trial out for my good. And in that I can have joy. I can have joy knowing that even though this is hard, it will not overcome me. I can have joy knowing that God is strengthening me in this trial. And I think such a beautiful example of this in the Bible is not only Jesus going to the cross and yet fully having joy.
Carla Arges [00:12:21]:
Fully having joy. Because again, God doesn't call us to something that Jesus himself did not do while he was fully man, while he was fully man and being persecuted. He had joyous. He had joy. But I think another beautiful example of this we find in Habakkuk. Habakkuk, he sees the enemies coming against Israel. He sees the destruction of Israel. He sees the hard time, and he is lamenting to God, why are you allowing this to happen? Why are you allowing evil kingdoms to come in and destroy Israel? Why are you allowing this to happen? This is hard.
Carla Arges [00:13:03]:
This is heavy. Feel good. There is destruction. There's poverty, there is death. This is hard. And yet Habakkuk in 318 nine says, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine, hide places.
Carla Arges [00:13:30]:
Even in the midst of this, Habbakuk is saying, this is hard. I'm lamenting. I don't understand it, and yet I will rejoice. That is a heart posture. That's not a smile on your face. Habbakuk was not smiling in his lament. And yet even while he was holding space for his lament, his heart posture was, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. And why? Because God is his salvation.
Carla Arges [00:14:01]:
This is not the end of the story. He will make my feet like hinds feet. You know what this means? You know, in like mountain goats, when they have to go up on the mountains, they have special feet that allows them to be on the footing of these high, dangerous places where they can have stable footing because of how their hinds feet are, because of how their feet are designed. So Habbakkuk is saying, is going to make my feet to be able to go to these high places, these places of danger, these places of uncertainty. I will have certainty and safety because of God. It's going to be dangerous. It's going to be hard. But God is not going to forsake me.
Carla Arges [00:14:46]:
And in that I have joy. In that I have joy, even job, all the things that job was going through. And Job complained to God. Job complained to God. But we see here in Job, 1925, he says, for I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God. I don't think Joe was up and dancing and celebrating during all his loss. And yet he knew my redeemer lives, and I will see God.
Carla Arges [00:15:37]:
That is a heart posture of joy, my friends. That's a solemn heart posture of joyous. That's not singing and dancing. And so I want you to know that you can have a heart posture of joy during the hard stuff and still acknowledge that it's hard. You can say, I choose this day to be rejoicing in God of my salvation, who is giving me the strength to walk through this trial. I choose a heart posture of joy. Just as Jesus embraced joy going to the cross knowing what it would fulfill. I am going to embrace joy in my trial.
Carla Arges [00:16:29]:
And it can look solemn, it can look quiet. It can be held at the same time as your lament. It can be held at the same time you acknowledge your pain. Joy is not based on your external circumstances. Joy is a heart posture that we take because of the salvation we have in Christ, knowing that the victory is won. Joy is a heart posture that we take, knowing that we do not walk in these difficult seasons alone. But God is with us to sustain us and be our strength. Joy is a heart posture that we take, that we know that God has compassion for us and that his mercies are new every morning.
Carla Arges [00:17:25]:
It's a heart posture we take even when externally we may not be able to bring our face to a smile. Joy and pain can exist, and it doesn't have to look like skipping through the streets. It can look like a solemn declaration that this is hard. And yet I praise God for who he is. This is painful, but I have Joy knowing that this is not the end of the story. Jesus, I don't understand why you're allowing this to persist. I don't understand why you're allowing the season in my life. But I have joy in trusting your character.
Carla Arges [00:18:11]:
I have joy knowing that you work all things out for good. That is my hope. Joy is attached to the hope that I have in Christ. And so I really want to encourage you today, I really want to encourage you today to embrace a heart posture of joyous and don't confuse it with what it looks like externally. It's a heart posture that we take knowing that God is for us even in the midst of our pain. And my affirming truth comes right from habakkuk. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. Yet even in the pain and even in the suffering, I will rejoice in the Lord.
Carla Arges [00:18:57]:
Yet even in the trial, even in the hard season, my heart posture will be of joy, and that will be my strength. And I go back to Habakkuk at their anchoring verse. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. I'll talk to you next time. Friends, thanks for joining me today. I hope we're already friends on social media, but if we're not, come find me on Instagram at Carla Arges or at affirming truth. Can't wait to see you back here next week.
Carla Arges [00:19:39]:
Bye, friends.