Only a few days into 2025, an avalanche of complications threatened to steal my joy.
My New Year’s resolution for 2025 centered on one word—joy. This year, I was determined to have joy despite all circumstances or disappointments.
Then, someone committed fraud on my debit card.
Right after purchasing my checked bag for my flight from my family’s home in Missouri back to my ministry in Cleveland, Ohio, I noticed an unfamiliar charge to my card. Within seconds, US Bank sent me a text message asking if that charge was valid. I said no, and trusted that the company would contact me as the message indicated. At 6:00 a.m. the next morning, I was on a flight back to cold, snowy Cleveland.
Once I got home, I had to go grocery shopping on that Saturday afternoon so that I would have food for the week and be ready for school to resume on Monday. But, as I said, it was cold and snowy. Let’s add slushy and slick to the description. Actually, let’s just say it was plumb nasty outside—not fit for man or beast. But the Saturday afternoon crowd still packed Aldi and Walmart. Although I like to use cash, I planned to use my debit card because I had not had a chance to go to the bank.
The debit card. You know, the one someone committed fraud against?
Yeah . . . it was denied at Aldi. Fortunately, I had a little bit of cash I had received for Christmas.
As I wheeled a cart through Walmart, I called the bank. They had shut down my card, and they needed to issue a new one. I could have it mailed, or I could pick up a temporary one from a bank on Monday.
“Okay . . . but I’m pretty sure my car insurance is coming due—any day,” I said.
The banker checked the account. “Oh, yeah. It looks like they tried to pull the payment today, but we had already shut the card down.”
Great. Now I don’t have car insurance?
By the time I made it through Walmart and slid through the parking lot to my car, I wanted to grumble.
But, I had said that I was going to have joy. So I began counting my blessings:
- Even though my debit card was shut down, I had enough cash to get everything on my carefully planned grocery list.
- I had a gas card from my school that was reimbursement for a trip to a teacher’s convention. I was able to use the card to put needed gas in my car when I would have normally used the debit card.
- I lived close to the stores I needed and had a good coat.
- I had uplifting Gospel music to listen to in my car.
As I left the Walmart parking lot, I thought of a song sung by a Southern Gospel group called “Old Church Choir.” The chorus asserts,
“Ain’t nothing going to steal my joy.”[1]
(Yes, I know that’s a double-negative. Stay with me.)
The Challenge and the Choice
There are many things that can steal our joy. Bad things happen. We try to do everything right, and the world still seems to fall apart. Our bank card is shut down. The weather ruins our plans. Somone makes an unnecessarily rude comment. We drop a scoop of turtle-sundae ice cream on the floor.
But we have a choice. We can choose to take a breath and count our blessings. Yes, sometimes we go ahead and cry. (I did the following Monday when I received an extra charge on my car insurance because my insurance technically lapsed.) But then we remind ourselves that God is still in control, and He is still good. He still provides. David says that he has “never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25 {KJV}).
What is a promise from God you need to claim today? Write it down. Repeat it to yourself. We don’t have to let circumstances steal our joy. Instead, we take our disappointments to the Lord. Think on His blessings. Meditate on His promises.
This week, let’s not let anything steal our joy.
[1]. Zach Williams, Ethan Hulse, and Colby Wedgeworth, 2017, “Old Church Choir,” Essential Music Publishing. [Author’s Note: The version I’ve heard was sung by The Ball Brothers in 2018.]
Copyright © 2025 by Carmen Dillon. All rights reserved.
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Find biblical insights and practical tips for life and homemaking in my book Opening the Hope Chest: A Single Girl’s Guide to Homemaking.
What an important post as life itself tends to steal our joy! Hope you were able to get an extra scoop of that turtle ice cream!
Thank you! 🙂