"The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength" .   Amen to that.  I am going to make this short today, but at least the "bad blogger" in me showed up.  :) When I think of this verse, I am reminded of a complement someone once gave me.

I love to study God's word.  Even though I battle with the time to (or time management), like everyone else. I've been told I'm a good Bible Study teacher.  I don't see it.  I feel it's more like me discovering stuff for myself and then going  "hey, did you know ___________?  I didn't!!"  Apparently, that works.

Once I was at church, studying for a women's retreat I was leading on "joy".  I had been there all day.  It was a Wednesday and I was coming downstairs to join my church family for dinner. (That might be a Southern thing, but we like it.)  I passed a friend in the stairwell.  He said "Hey Kristy, you look.........." and he stopped, looked at me (okay...he starred) and took a dramatic pause.  Alright, more like a long, uncomfortable pause.  I was beginning to wonder what he was going to say.  Did I look tired, sick, awful, beautiful, deadly, what?   How did a look?  And then he said with a smile..."Why, you look joyful!" (He seemed surprised.)  Then he turned and left me there all by myself, in the stairwell of my church, pondering what a "joyful" person looked like. I'm still not sure I know.

I took it as a complement.  Actually, it's one of my favorite complements ever!  Psalm 16:11 says "you will fill me with JOY in your presence".  Being in the presence of God can and does make one joyful.  I had spent all day with God. I guess it showed in my face.  (I envision Charlton Heston in the "10 Commandments" coming down from the mountain with his face all aglow...I know I can be a bit dramatic.)

And God's joy is our strength.  Even for a "bad blogger" like me.