When we fight back with joy, we awaken to the deepest reality of our identity as beloved, delightful children of God.

I had been searching for joy in the relatively good times of life, now I had to find joy amidst darkness and agony.

Joy is a weapon we use to fight life's battles.

Wide awake to the presence of God, I realized I had been so focused on asking why a good God allowed bad things to happen that I was missing out on the nearness of God all along. In becoming preoccupied with the why, I was missing the who.

Many of us say we want to experience God, but we don’t look for his majesty. [Tweet this] We travel life’s paths with our heads down, focused on the next step with our careers or families or retirement plans. But we don’t really expect God to show up with divine wonder.

When we fight back with joy, we awaken to the deepest reality of our identity as beloved, delightful children of God.

You must learn to hush the demons that whisper, 'No one wants to read this. This has already been said. Your voice doesn't matter.' In the rare moments when the voices finally hush, you might hear the angels singing.