Joy Comes

There may be pain in the night,

but joy comes in the morning.

The words do not come easily.

But they come.

You guys, not only do I believe this,

I feel it.

My brain tells me that I should be more sad.

That there should be tears as I fold tiny socks and store them away in a box.  Again.

That a baby shower should wreck me.

That all these advent longing posts should resonate more deeply with me right now.

And yet

Though my arms literally ached this week (because what do you do when you know you have only a precious few days with a Little One?  You hold them.  All.  The.  Time.), my heart is full.

My heart is full.

And one word describes how I feel about it all.

Hopeful.

Because joy comes.

Because He is the restorer of the broken.  And I have seen this with my own eyes.

Friends, we can only endure the shadow times if we know the Light.

And this weekend, I have wept with sisters who have known the shadow times.

And I have laughed with sisters who are celebrating the Light.

Because joy comes.

And so

This morning I look around and see a bunch of messy imperfect people.

Many of us have lived the shadow times.

Some of us are camped out there right now.

Many of us have known pain in the night.

Some of us are feeling it right now, this very moment.

And still it is true.

I know it with certainty.

The pain will not last.

The Light will break through.

Friends, joy comes.