Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. As we appreciate our moms, we are aware that the example of a mother reaches deeply into the hearts of her children.

A road sign I drove by proclaimed in large letters, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” As I went by it, I found myself not only agreeing, but also hoping that those who were beaten down and defeated by the hardships of life would read it and be awakened with the thought, “Would having the Lord in my life possibly give me the strength I need to face my problems?”

A mother who trusts in the Lord is like that road sign. She is influential and powerful in modeling for her children the joyful life available through faith in Jesus. Her daily life example puts an exclamation point on God’s love.

Even for moms, life can be draining and disappointing. Yet those mothers who have the joy of the Lord in their daily lives experience these difficulties in a completely different way. The joy of the Lord strengthens them. They are a living road sign proclaiming the joy of the Lord that gives strength even in sorrow and disappointment. They show us the joy that comes from personally knowing Him. They show us the joy of knowing His love.

It is joy welling up within us from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit within us. As Nehemiah told the Hebrews to enjoy the blessings of the day he proclaimed, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” Nehemiah 8:10. Have a joyful life in the Lord! Let go and let God! He can handle it all!

Pastor Greg Brownell

United Brethren Church

Dayton