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”So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.“ ‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭22‬

Joy killers. They can sneak up on you and catch you unaware. Joy killers rob you of your joy. They whisper lies in your ear about your inability to succeed. They remind you of your failings. They accuse you of your weaknesses. They refuse to let you forget the hurt of being deceived and rejected. They poison you with bitterness for wrongs committed and unforgiven actions.

If you have something of value, you go to great expense to protect it. You put on locks. You build walls. You have your own set of alarms that remind you, ‘Never again.’

Jesus knows all about joy killers. He wrestled with them all through his time on earth. He was misrepresented. He was misunderstood. He was labeled. He was rejected by the very people he came to rescue.

One of the greatest joy killers can be the transitions in life and accompanying feelings of the unknown. The unknown is a huge joy killer. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, angels announced his birth and great joy with his arrival. 30+ years later, Jesus told his disciple he would be leaving them for a time.

For over three years they had experienced the joy of his presence. They celebrated the miracles with him. They endured the storms with him. They were accosted physically and spiritually with him. Now he’d be gone and the joy killer of the future hit them hard.

Jesus saw the sorrow in their eyes. Jesus understood their fear. In the midst of their fear, in the midst of their sorrow, Jesus reassured them that this time of sorrow would be temporary. In the midst of their sorrow they had a guarantee that would go with them throughout life. The joy they had when they were with Jesus would return.

Sorrow is temporary. Fear is temporary. Joy is eternal. No matter what things in life attack you, when you draw close to God you can experience joy in the midst of sorrow. Joy in the midst of fear. Joy in the midst of worry. Joy in the midst of hurt. Joy in the midst of rejection. Joy in the midst of grief.

Don’t allow the lies of the enemy keep you from experiencing great joy through the giver of joy, Jesus.