Joy in the End

I feel like I'm on the edge of something good.
God has opened several doors for me in the last week or so. He's provided a small income in babysitting and a small chance to feel like a part of some families while I am away from my own. He's allowing me to really be a part of things that I'm passionate about in the church. He's giving me great opportunities to learn from some phenomenal people in all of this.
I'm in a great mood today, mainly because I feel like He's really at work in me and really ready to prepare me for some big movements in my life.

I'm going through the gospels because through reading "The Last Word and the Word After That" I learned a lot about Jesus and what He was really about: Love. I'm learning so much about love lately, and I'm trying to form myself around that. I finished Mark last night and to kill some time before more babysitting, I figured I would start Luke. In my bible, there's an introduction to every book. Before Luke, my bible explains that Luke's point of view made everything seem like a joyous celebration. The Messiah was coming, and that was something to celebrate.
In chapter 2, verse 10, the angel brings news of great joy. God was preparing the world for something huge. To me, the best part is that there was a period of despair stuck in the middle of it. God knew what He was doing, but to the rest of the world the task seemed too great and too depressing to bring forth joy in the end. Even Jesus Himself wanted to skip the hard part (understandably so, considering He was to experience the ultimate pain: separation from His Father). I haven't listened to this week's sermon yet, but I understand it's about the process. It should make the process easier to understand that no matter what we do and no matter what happens in the middle, the outcome is always full of Joy.
I'm in a huge process. While I feel God is opening some really great doors for me, I am also dealing with some really painful issues right now. What's great about pain is that I've learned to find good in it. I've learned to expect joy in the end. I understand that there is something to learn from every situation. So right now, while I feel it in my heart, it's important to understand that God has great joy for me at the end. The middle might hurt, but He is in control and He will remain Sovereign in all of it.