When the Week Is a Mix of Joy and Unknowns

Yesterday, I shared some thoughts about the power of a cheerful heart.

But the truth is, that message started stirring in me much earlier... on Monday morning.

It was cold. A gray start to what would become a full, meaningful, and at times, weighty week. I woke up feeling a little unsettled. Not overwhelmed, just aware that I was walking into something significant, and also uncertain.

Our 100th Network Council was beginning. The largest ordination class in our history would soon walk across the stage. There was so much to celebrate. So much to honor.

At the same time, I knew the week would bring a variety of important moments. I was asked to give instructions for our new text-based voting system. It went smoothly, but I couldn’t help remembering the last time I gave voting instructions and the devices didn’t cooperate. That memory made me smile... and pray just a little harder before stepping up.

Throughout the week, we shared stories, honored legacy, welcomed new voices, and navigated conversations that matter deeply to our fellowship. There was a beautiful sense of God's presence, and also a recognition that we are human, thoughtful people doing our best to follow His leading together.

It was a full week. Emotionally, spiritually, relationally.
Moments of deep joy. Sacred assignments. Conversations that stayed with me long after they ended.

And through it all, this verse from Habakkuk kept coming back to me:

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines... Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
— Habakkuk 3:17–18 (NKJV)

This is the kind of joy that does not wait for everything to be settled.
It is not loud or flashy. It is quiet. Steady. Rooted in who God is.

It reminded me that joy is not something we feel only after the dust settles.
It is something we carry through the middle of it all.

As I reflect on this past week, the sacred moments, the heartfelt worship, the weight of ordination, the laughter in between meetings, I am reminded again that joy is not a reward for smooth outcomes. It is the strength that carries us through days we do not fully understand.

So if your week has been a blend of good things, hard things, and everything in between, let this be your encouragement today:

You can rejoice right now. Not because everything is easy. Not because every question has been answered. But because God is faithful, and He is with you in the middle of it all.

A Prayer for Today

Lord, thank You for walking with me through a week that held both joy and responsibility. Thank You for sacred moments and quiet strength. Teach me to rejoice in You, not just when things are settled, but while the story is still being written. Remind me that You are my salvation, and that is always enough. Amen