Although most people will give a good effort; not everyone will be joyful this Christmas season. For many it’s a time of loss and the memories flood back with every song that is heard on the radio. It’s more about regretting those things that should have been done, or the decisions that were made in haste that changed the course of your life. It’s about leaving home before you were ready, or not taking the time to see family because you felt that you had let them down. It’s digging up past mistakes instead of embracing the lessons learned from those very same mistakes made.

Our lives lead us in directions that sometimes veer off from the direction that we will ultimately go to. What do we learn from the detours? We learn to trust God. It isn’t easy to walk through the wilderness when we feel alone; but it’s the path that will shape us into his image when we reach the next turn we will take. Often I have asked myself, “how in the world did I get to this stage in my life?” I see now that the Lord has had a plan for each of us since before the beginning of time.

It’s the season where we could allow remorse to consume us, but I choose to follow the mindset of David in Psalm 121: 1-2 that says:

” I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”

My focus must be on the Lord and all the times that I made right decisions. If I hadn’t turned down that dark path, I would have never found the joy that was waiting for me at the end of it. The thing that the enemy felt would destroy me only made me stronger. The more I have turned my eyes to the Lord in prayer, the stronger and more confident I have become that he will do what he said he will do. I have learned to trust in him by just waiting on him to fulfill his will and purpose in my life.

Are there still times where I am unclear on what direction to take? Yes, every time that I take a step forward, but I have learned the secret to victory. It is letting the Lord lead me through prayer. Before I make any decision, I have learned to filter it through God’s word and prayer.

Instead of dwelling on the past regrets and mistakes that we make in life (mistakes that God doesn’t even remember) we can have hope in a future. No one can steal your joy; if it is lost it’s because you surrendered it. Remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength. It doesn’t say that we will always be strong, but that through our weakness, God is strong.

We may still go through the motions as we enter this season of the year,  but let’s try to capture those memories that have become treasures; they may be bittersweet at times, yet they can still give us hope and peace if we look for it.

I am so thankful that the Lord chose me to bring the Lattereign this week, as we are reminded to Rejoice The King is Coming.