September 2025 Reflections From Dave’s Corner Of The World

Over the years of serving at A Ray of Hope, I have found that everyone I have encountered is looking for joy.  I serve a lot of people who are hurting.  While they are all searching for joy, they struggle finding it, but they absolutely want it.  I have encountered a few who, out of their pain, will tell me they don’t want love or joy, however, after we spend time together, they admit that they still want it, but are hurt because they haven’t found it.  They give up for lack of success, not lack of desire.

I am convinced that our guests are hurting, not because they have chosen to, but because they have been hurt, typically at a young age, and didn’t know how to process and resolve their hurt as a child.  This is so devastating and sad, to see a child hurt and abused by a loved one they trusted.  You would think that this would be enough to turn the child away, and yet that desire to love and be loved is so strong that they will continue to pursue that loved one, even to their own detriment.

Eventually the tide will shift; the hurt and bitterness will grow, and the child will often seek to hurt their loved ones back as well as seeking self-harm.  In so doing, they have learned the wrong lesson, though it’s the lesson they have been taught:  that they are of little value.  They lose hope as their world crumbles, and turn to drugs and alcohol to drown out the pain.  When this fails, some turn to A Ray of Hope.  This is a good turn to make, as we will take them in and minister to their physical, emotional and Spiritual needs.

We can all struggle finding joy, particularly when we look in the wrong places.  The interesting thing is, the more we expect it from our loved ones or others, the less we tend to find it.  There are two verses that I’d like to share that speak to this.  The second half of Proverbs 27:20 says, “the eyes of man are never satisfied.”  That is so true, and so sad.  On the other hand:  Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”  The Greek word for “filled” means “an abundance”, or to “be satisfied”.

WHAT A CONTRAST, WHEN WE SEEK OUR DESIRES, WE WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED.  WHEN WE HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS, WE SHALL BE FILLED AND SATISFIED.  The joy we all seek in our spirit and soul can only be TRULY satisfied by God, and if we aren’t being filled with the Spirit and Truth of the Lord, we tend to look elsewhere to fill that void.   When we look elsewhere, we never do fill it, because only God’s righteousness will fill us.  He created us to be filled by Him and His love, not the things of the world; He knows us and He knows our needs, like no other, so He won’t be missing the mark.   

He loves us like we can’t even love each other.  There are no flaws in His love.  Looking around, there are many things that look like they will satisfy and fill us, but they are temporary, lacking goodness and very often become the source of our discontentment.  God will not come up short if you hunger and thirst for Him!  He will fill you like no one or nothing else can fill you.  It’s interesting that the Joy we are looking for is found when we surrender our desires and embrace God’s.  Joy is found when we find God because God IS Joy, God is beautifully and perfectly loving! 

We won’t find that kind of love anywhere but IN HIM.  This is His design, He wants us to turn and return to Him as only He is truly satisfying, because anything or anyone will let us down!  Then, as we become satisfied in God, we are able to bless others, and share with them the joy we have found in Him!  There is our answer:  as you fall in love with God, you’ll find joy in loving others!  He is easy to love, and He makes it easy to love!  With that comes the desire, power and willingness to forgive those who have hurt us, and to seek forgiveness from those we have hurt.

This is the key to a blessed and fulfilling life.  Circumstances may not go our way, but if we hunger and thirst after our Lord and His righteousness, He will fill us as we so long to be filled!  As we are filled by Him, we can share our joy with others, without expectations, and as we do, we shall be filled and satisfied in our giving.  This is the true sign of our healing, as we are healed, we help heal others.  This is our focus as those who are hurting come to A Ray of Hope:  to heal and to fill and to bring them into the precious love and joy of the Savior.  He will not let them down as others have, and He will forgive and restore the broken hearted.  Psa 34:17-18;  “The righteous cry and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit.” 

So if you are struggling to find joy, remember, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”  Filled people will figure things out!  Filled people will have the Joy of the Lord!  Filled people will be ONE in Christ and toward others.  We all need to remember this:  If we’re lacking joy, we’re lacking God, because HE is our hope and source for true Joy!

Amen?  Amen!  Dave