May I meddle for a moment? What’s the one thing separating you from joy? How do you fill in this blank: “I will be happy when____?” When I’m healed…when I’m promoted…when I’m married…when I’m single…when I’m rich? With your answer firmly in mind, answer this. If your dream never comes true, if the situation never changes, would you be happy? If not, then you’re sleeping in the cold cell of discontent. You need to know what you have in your Shepherd. You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of Heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need!

Has it been a while since you have been happy? Has it been a while since you realized God’s workings and involvements in your life?

If it has, then you need to know something. God is still there, He is working. He hasn’t left. Under all those papers and books and reports and years. In the midst of all those voices and faces and memories and pictures, he is still there.

Do yourself a favor, don’t wait to be happy when________ choose to be happy now, right where you are with what you have even if you don’t like where you are or how things are. Stand before God again. Or, better yet, allow him to stand before you. Go into your upper room and wait. Wait until he comes. And when he appears, don’t leave. Run your fingers over his feet. Place your hand in the pierced side. And look into those eyes. Those same eyes that melted the gates of hell and sent the demons scurrying and Satan running. Look at them as they look at you. You’ll never be the same.

A man is never the same after he simultaneously sees his utter despair and Christ’s unbending grace. To see the despair without the grace is suicidal. To see the grace without the despair is upper room futility But to see them both is conversion.

Come meet the God of encouragement. He loves you. He never gives up on you, especially when life is hard, because he has been there. The hand that reaches out to comfort you is a pierced one, don’t wait to be happy when__________, choose to be happy now with what you have right where you are.

– Max Lucado & “The WIN International Ministries Team”