Wednesday
December 8, 2021
Joy and Proverbs
Bitterness
The Book of Proverbs is more than mere adages we repeat in moments of confusion or stress. They are universal metaphors that serve as anchors in a bewildering and sometimes tumultuous world. Many resources are available to understand these maxims and during this second week of Advent we will focus on the surprising power of the proverbs to reveal God’s truth to us. If this week’s exploration of Proverbs calls you to search for more ways to encounter joy, click on the word Joy in the categories cloud in the blog’s right hand sidebar and choose a reflection, or enter the word Joy in the blog search bar. Today we find joy despite our bitterness.
In this second week in Advent we continue to share simple verses from Proverbs that bring joy to our hearts even in the most surprising of circumstances.
Verse 14:10: The heart knows its own bitterness, and its joy no stranger shares.
Verse 17:22: A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones.
God says: I fully understand that depression and anxiety afflict a great number of you and that many of you suffer from overwhelming fear. I do not expect you to heal yourselves of these maladies, nor do I expect you to wish them away. I send healers among you who explore the mysteries of science and medicine to reveal new pathways to wholeness for each of you. I am in your microscopes and your laboratories. I am in the hands and minds that minister to you when you suffer. I am in the ears and hearts that call you out of any bitterness that has settled upon you. Come to me when I call you to joy.
Tomorrow, God calls us away from our worries.
For more information about anxiety and joy, visit: http://riselikeair.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/anxiety-joy-a-journey/
Image from: http://weheartit.com/entry/group/28664496
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