I once witnessed a beautiful example of joy. When I was a member of Dallas Seminary's Board of Regents, I had the privilege of interviewing new faculty members. On one occasion we were meeting with four of our newest faculty members, one of whom was a woman. Not just any woman, but the first woman ever invited to join the distinguished ranks of the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary. Doctor Lucy Mabery was her name, and several of us on the board flashed back as she told us of her pilgrimage. We had known Lucy for years.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        This delightful, intelligent woman was rearing a family, teaching Bible classes, and busily engaged in a dozen other involvements while happily married to Dr. Trevor Mabery, a successful physician who was at the zenith of his career. Then her whole world caved in. Trevor was flying back to Dallas with three other men from a Montana retreat, where they had been with Dr. James Dobson, discussing and praying about the Focus on the Family ministry. Their plane crashed, and all four men perished in the accident. Shock waves stunned the city of Dallas. All four men were public figures and highly respected. Their widows were left to pick up the pieces.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Lucy chose to do it with joy. Without a moment's warning, her beloved Trevor was gone. Grief, one of the most vicious of all the joy stealers, tore into the Mabery family like a tornado at full force. But, determined not to be bound by the cords of perpetual grief, Lucy remained positive, keen thinking, and joyful. As we interviewed Lucy that day, her eyes sparkled with a delightful sense of humor. Her smile was contagious. We asked what it was like to be the first woman serving on the faculty. With a smile she answered, "I have had great warmth and reception from the faculty members. Now the student body," she added, "is another story."  We asked how she handled the handfull of male students who didn't agree with her being in that position. She said, "Oh, I take them to lunch, and we talk about things. They soften a bit." After a brief pause, she added, "It's been a joyous experience. As a matter of fact, I was given an award from the student body recently for being the best-dressed woman faculty member!"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    How can a person in Lucy's situation recover, pick up the pieces, and go on? How does anyone press on beyond grief? How does anyone press on. How do you still laugh at life? How do you put your arms around your children as a new single parent and help them embrace the future? It comes from deep within...because people like Lucy Mabery set their sails for joy regardless of how the wind blows. Lucy had a quiet confidence. Not in the long life of a husband and not in the fact that external circumstances always will be placid, peaceful, and easy. No, her confidence was in God, who is at work, who is in control, and who is causing all things to result in His greater glory.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    When you and I focus on that, we discover we can move forward with joy--even after the horror of an airplane crash and the loss of a spouse. Everything is determined by how we set our sails. "One ship drives east and another drives west - with the self-same winds that blow. 'Tis the set of the sails  And not the gales, Which tell us the way to go."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            When we arrive at such dilemmas in life and are unable to discern the right direction to go, if we hope to maintain our joy in the process, we must--repeat, must--allow the Lord to be our Guide, our Strength, our Wisdom...our All!  When we realize the pressure is on His shoulders...the responsibility is on Him...and the ball is in His court--then an unexplainable joy envelops us. As viewed by others, it may even be considered outrageous joy.  To be sure, such an unusual method of dealing with dilemmas is rare. There aren't many folks willing to turn the reins over to God. But it works! The Lord is a master at taking our turmoil and reveiling to us the best possible way forward. This calls for a rare trait among capable people--humility.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          As Peter once wrote:  Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.  - I Peter 5:6-7