Devotional For Seniors

There are many things that the very young & the very old have in common. One of those things may be how difficult it is to be patient when we are dependent on others to meet our needs or fulfill our desires. Things we want badly takes forever to happen. (Christmas & birthdays for kids)

The less control we have over what happens to us the harder it can be to have a patient attitude. It’s hard to be patient when you've asked for help with something & the help comes late or not at all. Or when something you really want seems to take forever. These are just inconveniences but they do tend to add up & try our patience until we have lost it entirely by the end of the day!

Unfortunately when we are in nursing homes we find that we even have to be patient with family members who promise to visit but then have other commitments they are already obligated to. Being patient can be difficult. Something we must keep in mind is that all things happen in God’s time, & though we may get tired of waiting for Him, His timing is always right, & He will never be late.

When we have to wait more than we want for something to happen we aren't happy. The search for happiness sometimes demands all we have. Throughout our lives, we set goals & make choices based on whether or not they will make us happy. Happiness, even at its best, is fleeting, isn’t it? It’s dependent on circumstances we can’t control & it’s as unpredictable as the weather. We feel happy when things are going well but are frustrated when problems arise. In contrast, true joy in the Lord is permanent & does not change with the circumstances. It's joy that keeps us moving through all the ups & downs of life, not happiness.

To have a joyful heart is to have a heart that meets suffering with hope, failure with grace, & sin with forgiveness. Deep, abiding joy comes from knowing that we have the promise of eternal life. Are we missing the joy in our lives because we are only focusing on being happy? The next time someone asks, “Are you happy?” you should respond, “Sometimes I’m happy, sometimes I’m sad, but I’m always joyful.”

You may ask “what do I have to be joyful about?” First & foremost we have joy in the fact God loves us so much He paid the price for our sin with the life of His Son Jesus Christ & through Him we have eternal life. We also find joy by being with one another. Being together, even in homes like this, we can do things like tell stories, share memories, brag about our family, & many other things. The Bible has many things to say about godly joy. In John 15:11 we read were Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Then in John 16:22 He tells us “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” No one can take His joy from us!

Even when we are put through hard times we still have joy with the Lord. The apostle Paul probably went through more hardships than anyone in the Bible except for Jesus. But he had joy. Joy that could not be taken away. Many of the Books he wrote were written in prison. Paul was locked up when he wrote Philippians. He was imprisoned but Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Here he is in prison telling us to rejoice. If Paul can find reason to rejoice in times like this we can do the same.

Godly joy cannot be taken away from us! Life has times of hardship & sorrow but through anything we can rejoice & be joyful in our Lord!