David asked me to say a few words about Joy because I sign all of my emails with "Joyfully, Elyse". So, I thought I would tell you the story behind my signature.

If you ever have the occasion to visit a psychologist he or she may give you list of stress inducers to try and gauge your level of stress and therefore know how to help you. I think the list contains about 10-15 life experiences that cause stress in your life.

Over the course of about 18 to 24 months I experienced all but two of those situations, some at the same time and some one right after the other. My marriage was in crisis. I lost two very close friendships. We put our house on the market to sell. My husband lost his job. I found out I was, unexpectedly, pregnant. We packed up our home and moved in with relatives. My husband got another job. I had our fifth child. And then came the icing on the cake. I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor when our new baby was 10 weeks old. I think the only two things on the list that didn’t happen during that time was a death in the family and a natural disaster.

When the news of the brain tumor hit, I finally started signing my emails with "Joyfully". Why in the world would joy become my signature when I had just been told my life could be cut far too short? Before all of this upheaval in my life, I was living with relatively little distress. My children were all healthy, my husband had a well paying job and I belonged to a great church and I had wonderful friendships. I had everything I needed and wanted. Shouldn’t joy have been my signature back then? It wasn’t like I wasn’t joyful before, it was just that I hadn’t really experienced the true nature of joy.

The Greek root for the word rejoice or joy refers to leaping or springing up like a gush of water, like a huge fountain. There is some outside pressure holding the water in until the inside pressure grows so much that it explodes. It can’t be held in any longer. The emotions I was feeling, sadness, despair, loneliness, anger was the outside pressure.

I underwent 30 treatments of radiation. My husband and I drove to the hospital every day at noon. And every day that I went into the radiation room, I knew that Jesus was in the room with me. He sat down right above my head as the machine started to whir and laid His hands on me and told me that He was not going to leave me alone. He was going to walk through all of this with me, before me and behind me.

Joy exploded in my life. You see, nothing but circumstances had changed. God still sat on His throne. He was not taken by surprise when the radiologist told me to buy an oxygen tank and sign a living will. His love for me and my family had not changed one iota. My future is secure, I am joyful. His name is praised, I am joyful. He works all things together for good, I am joyful.

Many, including myself, asked, "Why?" Why a youngish woman with five young children, Lord? Why have it work out this way? But why is not the question to ask. I don’t know why and I don’t mind that. I don’t mind because while I don’t know why, I do know Who. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

So I sign my emails "Joyfully, Elyse" to remind myself that I will not find joy in my circumstances. I find joy because of who God is and what He has promised me. I also do it to remind everyone who reads my emails that I am filled with joy because I know that my Redeemer lives.

Joyfully,

Elyse