When May arrives, it feels like the culmination of spring, with its warm weather, longer days, and vibrant nature. It’s a time of renewal, growth, and a sense of optimism as the world blossoms. It’s time to feel uplifted, with increased energy and motivation.
May brings consistently warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours, making it ideal for spending time outdoors. Springtime blooms reach their peak in May, with a wide variety of colors and fragrances adorning the landscape. Nature is at its most vibrant, with animals and plants actively reproducing and growing. The sunshine and warmer temperatures can trigger the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with happiness, leading to improved mood and a reduction in feelings of lethargy. Do ya’ feel it?
In essence, May feels like a time of abundance, warmth, and renewed energy, making it a popular month for many people to enjoy the beauty and vibrancy of spring.
And of course, California generally has a spectacular display of colorful spring flowers every year after the winter rains are over. The heavier the rain, the more abundant and colorful the blooms are! During certain years when there is an intensity of rain, large concentrations of flowers appear and cover large swaths of land – leading to the popular name superbloom.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Death Valley National Park are known for their wildflowers and could still offer a view, though likely not as extensive as in previous years.
Anyway, as May arrives and I watch the winter months fade away, it brings a feeling of hope and excitement. A little backstory here. I was born at Camp Pendleton and lived in Vista until I was 62 – seriously. The winters I have known have been the Southern California winters, complete with average temps in the mid-60s, lows in the 50s and 4-5 days of rain per month. Did you know that Jan 7, 1913, temperatures dropped to 25 degrees, the coldest ever in San Diego history?
Three and a half years ago, I moved to Tennessee. Have you ever wondered why a Tennessean writes your blog? I worked for North Coast Church for 10 years. The last year that Jim Bouck was the Singles Pastor, he asked me to help out with the newsletter for a month or two. Then he left and Pastor Terry took over. I stayed on during the transition. Ten years later, here I am, sitting in Tennessee, writing your blogs, all because I think Pastor Terry is pretty cool.
So, winters in Tennessee are quite different. Average high temperatures are in the 40s and average lows in the 20s to 30s. It’s also not unusual for temperatures to drop into the teens or even single digits during cold snaps. We see snow 10-12 days a year, and although the stats say rain 12-15 days a month … it sure seems like it rains every day for 3 months straight.
Then May arrives and daffodils and tulips appear everywhere. The hillsides turn emerald green and the smell of fresh mowed lawns is in the air … right along with the pollen.
“For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands” Isaiah 55:12.
It wasn’t until moving here and experiencing darker winters that I learned to appreciate the sun peeking through the clouds. Hope.
The phrase “sun comes in the morning” is a common idiom, often used to represent a new beginning or a hopeful outlook. It signifies that even after a difficult period, better times will eventually arrive. This concept is explored in Psalm 30:5: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
Joy comes in the morning: God’s blessings and restoration will come eventually.
My mother used to talk about “dark nights of the soul.” We all have them. Times where the light is hard to see. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve laid in bed with tears on my pillow and reminded myself that joy comes in the morning. Nighttime feels like a safe place to let out all of the heavy emotions of the day. I finally have a moment to rest and it’s just me and God. I can talk to Him, let the tears flow, and allow God’s peace to soak into the deepest parts of me. Even in the midst of my darkest hours, Jesus is right there with me. But, when you are in your darkest hour, how do you know that joy comes in the morning?
I wish I had the answer. I don’t.
We could take this Bible verse to literally mean joy will come the next morning, and sometimes it does. In a broader sense, Psalm 30:5 can mean that after a time of spiritual darkness, joy will be restored. I have seen examples of both in my own life. Some nights are long and dark, but after a night of crying out to the Lord, the next morning is brighter. Other times those dark nights turn into a string of dark days. A winter so to speak.
During the worst years living with chronic pain, it’s been easy to lose my sense of joy. Pain replaces joy. It’s easy to just sink into my dark place. When I allow God to meet me in my pain, my joy is restored. I just have to remember to allow Him to meet me. In some ways, I have seen too many dark days, yet I have also seen the goodness of God and His hand at work. I can promise you, joy does come in the morning.
I know it can feel impossible to experience joy in our worst circumstances. It can feel like a cruel joke, something we’re taunted with and fear we’ll never experience again. I think it’s important to know that happiness and joy are not the same thing. Happiness is a feeling based on pleasant circumstances, but I believe joy is something we can choose even amid our worst circumstances.
Even Jesus chose joy in His worst circumstances. Hebrews 12:1-3 says, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Jesus didn’t experience joy because of the pain of the cross or the shame heaped upon Him, but He did endure horrible circumstances for the joy that came out of it. He chose to walk in obedience to God because of the joy set before Him. The joy of reconciling man and God. The joy of conquering sin and death. The joy of the resurrection. The joy of making a way for us to be free and experience new life. He endured hostility so we will not grow weary and lose heart. We can experience joy during our worst circumstances because He is with us.
There are not 10 easy steps for you to experience joy in the worst circumstances. There is no way we can trick ourselves into finding joy or work our way to joy. There just isn’t. I know, I’ve tried! True joy is found in the Lord and the Lord alone. It’s something that comes from Him. We can’t fake it and we can’t earn it. It’s a free gift. So how do we experience it?
We look to Jesus. We abide in Him and simply ask Him to fill us with joy. Abiding with Jesus means spending time with Him. As we spend time with Him, we allow His truth and love to fill our weary hearts and fill us with joy.
In John 15 we read about what it means to abide. I love what Jesus says in John 15:9, 11: “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love…These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
Joy is found in Jesus. It’s as simple and beautiful as that. We make things so complicated sometimes, I know I do. But when we cease our striving, we’ll find peace and joy in Jesus—even in our worst circumstances.
So, What Does the Bible Say About Joy?
The word rinnah is used 34 times in the Bible. Rinnah (Hebrew: רִנָּ֔ה, rinnâh) is a Hebrew name meaning “praise to God” or “joyful shouting”. Rinnah is most often translated as “sing for joy” or the slightly better “shout for joy” but the translator assumes the “for joy” part and the singing part. There are specific words for singing and joy in Hebrew and these are not present in the sentences that include the root words of rinnah.
Rinnah is used very rarely in the Torah (first five books of the Bible), but when we do come across the word, we can find clues that point to its ancient Hebrew understanding. Rinnah is more of an audible primal cry of awe. It was a reactionary sound to an incredible sight. With this in mind, rinnah is something like a yelp, a howl, a wail, or in a more positive circumstance, a cheer.
With that in mind, let’s think on what else Scripture has to say about joy.
“O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy” Psalm 47:1.
“And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with a joyful shout” Psalm 105:43.
“Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving. And tell of His works with joyful singing” Psalm 107:22.
“The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly” Psalm 118:15.
“Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them’” Psalm 126:2.
“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting” Psalm 126:5.
“And the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” Isaiah 35:10.
“Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted” Isaiah 49:13.
This is all to say that when days feel dark and the clouds don’t fade, there are brighter days ahead. Some of our darkest days teach us the most. One of the things I’ve learned over and over (and over) again is that God can use my dark days. He can take my hurts and my experiences and use me to help others along their path.
The phrase “maybe God made you for a time such as this” comes from the Book of Esther, specifically in Esther 4:14. I have always found this verse comforting, as a reminder that God is using me, teaching me, molding me and joyfully watching over me even in the Winter. And, sometimes joy comes from just watching the flowers bloom.
For God and you,
Deb Bostwick
Singles Blogger