For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5 NIV
Joy In the Morning
Erin Anderssen set out to find happy Canadians to share lessons with Canadiana about staying positive, making connections and flourishing in 2025. She writes: “Toward the end of 2024, I spoke to Noortje Kunnen in Fredericton, N.B., who, at 47, is facing stage 4 metastatic cancer and will need to be in treatment for the rest of her life. She told me, ‘Look around, and you can experience beauty and delight: an Irish setter puppy up to mischief, a friend who drops by for tea with a puzzle, a joke that gives you the giggles while scrolling on Facebook.’”
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There is a view of God that He is a pleasant old grandfather who sits in heaven with a big smile on His face, loving everything and everyone no matter what. That may be a popular view, but it is far from a Biblical one. God is perfectly loving by nature, but He is also perfect just as well. There are things that make Him angry. Proverbs 6 tells us there are seven things: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. You don’t want to get anywhere near God’s just anger. Well, the good news is that God’s anger doesn’t last forever. King David knew this and writes, in Psalm 30:5: “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley