I lived in Ohio for about 7 years after graduating college.

If you follow the news at all you have seen the story of 3 women who were found and rescued after being held captive for 10 years.

Can you imagine being kept constrained in a random house for over 10 years?!

How about the pain, torment, doubt, depression, frustration, and emptiness the families felt all this time from their missing loved one?

While this was a great crime and even greater sin, I found comfort in the story.

I found an abundance of people not focusing on the terrible act, but on the goodness of God and how never losing hope in Him pays off.

I saw the Lord being praised and magnified for keeping those women alive.

Brothers, what the Lord showed me was there is always room for joy. I can only dream of feeling the joy the families felt when they embraced their loved ones for the first time in 10 years.

A tremendous joy that was birthed out of a tremendous pain.

Whatever you are going through in life today…choose joy.

Lets pray…

“Lord you never fail. You are always on point and right on time. Thank you for renewing the strength of the families involved in such a terrible crime. Help us to never magnify our situations as bigger than you God. I pray the joy of the Lord be ever present in our hearts as it strengthens us on our daily walk. Amen”