JOY.
What comes to mind when you read that word?
Such a tiny word but packed with the key to life.
Joy. Unspeakable joy.
Wouldn’t you want that to fill your soul every day?
Let us wake up and decide it is going to be the best day.
The key to enjoying this life we have is in our own hands. Only we can decide to have gratitude in the situations that cause us to compare and complain.
Some may be in a position of young kids waking up early refusing everything you offer. They may be throwing all their toys everywhere. You feel you are chasing, yelling, and cleaning day after day.
Some may be in a position of going to a workplace where there is so much hate and gossip that their ears are so full their hearts start to wonder if there any good left in the world?
You may have a boss that doesn’t see eye to eye, maybe has a favorite employee and it’s not you.
Whatever your situation is when you wake up and feel that nudge of anger, pity, sorrow, resentment, it can be wiped away.
You can choose joy.
You can choose to dig your feet in the earth until they feel grounded. You can choose to let that gossip just flow on by you like the rock that stands against the flowing river. You can let your roots absorb joy.
You can choose to smile and sneak a couple kisses and hugs to the kids and husband you constantly care for.
You can choose to remember you are not in control of your life.
Your life or a loved one’s life could end any day any minute.
You don’t have to pretend that the things going on in your life that quite frankly suck, aren’t there. Recognize the situation but choose the good. Life is a rollercoaster of really great moments and really challenging situations.
Would you believe that you are part of something greater?
The pain you are feeling is truly part of an incredible story that is written with you in mind.
This is true because of Jesus coming here to pay the price of our sins.
If you are filled with too much heaviness to not even understand your choice you can give those burdens to God.
He’s waiting to lift you up.
You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114
You won’t find what you are searching for on your own strength.
But each day you can choose to change your attitude.
All those that come into your path you have the strength and power to not let them destroy or rob you of your JOY.
How do you choose joy? You start by being thankful for even the smallest things in your life.
Each day think of five things that are good in your life.
If you can’t think of 5, I have five for you.
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Fresh clean water, at your fingertips.
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An overwhelming amount of choices of food at the grocery store.
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Freedom to choose what you will do today.
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Freedom to express yourself on social media.
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The chance to go for a walk and take in a natural beauty that surrounds you.
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You can walk into a place of worship and openly open your arms and sing to the one who first loved and always will love you.
Ok, so that was six. Once you pause and take a minute to reflect I think you may just find more than 5 too. If you can’t think smaller.
I hope you are reminded and inspired to allow today to be the best day. And stay on guard when you are seeking the best day because the devil will be right there saying “Oh yeah well what about this and that?”
Remember if you have kids that example you are setting. I know for me when I see my kids starting to give me attitude it’s a reflection of what I have been showing them.
It is truly outstanding what happens when you decide- “Today is going to be a good day” as soon as you open your beautifully created eyes.
You can take a stand and fight back and find joy in even the darkest days.
READ MORE ABOUT FINDING JOY WITH JESUS
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What an amazing post and so what I needed to hear today! There’s always so much to be grateful for!
So glad you were able to read it Jehava!
This is so much of what I’m talking about on my blog right now. So helpful and so thankful you are willing to speak out.
Great post! I recently underwent several situations where I needed to focus extra hard to find joy. The weight of all the things going on (bad job, the death of one of my best friends), had triggered my bipolar to throw me into a dark pit of depression. It was hard not to feel guilt when I did find joy, thinking that I was somehow doing my friend a disservice by feeling it.
Especially with my depression, I have learned gratitude and joy lists are incredibly important. I feel as if all too often, we forget joy and happiness are not one and the same, therefore when we don’t feel happiness, we feel we are lacking joy. But joy isn’t an emotion. So even in our pain, when we can recognize the things that bring us joy, we can find a way to carry through.
I lost my best friend three years ago- he was murdered. It is a very slow process to get through. His death woke me up to how incredibly blessed we are and how short life can be. I too have gone through depression and then feeling guilt for such a joy to my life while others near me were still suffering. That is so true we may not be at our happiest but we can still feel joy.
I had an interesting conversation on joy with somebody awhile back. He commented that joy as it’s usually defined (exuberant, energetic, etc.) is exhausting. As an introvert, I have to agree with him. After thinking about it for a little bit, I realized that joy – to me – is a state of preparation for happiness. It’s looking for the good to be grateful for instead of focusing on the negativity around me. And of course, it is most definitely sneaking a few kisses to my daughter (literally! The child slaps at my face if she realizes it’s coming) and husband because I realize how much I have to be grateful there. 🙂
I love that preparation for happiness.Thanks so much for sharing the conversation you had about joy. Looking for the good is certainly the best way to move forward in life!
This is a wonderful reminder 🙂 I would like to get started with that daily 5 things habit, thank you!
It is something many of us forget for sure. The 5 daily things you are thankful for is pretty simple but powerful! Thanks for stopping by.
This post is awesome! Thanks so much. So inspirational.
Thank you Brittany!
I feel I am so blessed to have fallen on your page here to read. I know in my life even at my age ‘ I find JOY! even through my pain in healing , something I have been working on since I was a little girl.. Being raped, tortured, thrown out to the wolves ‘ sort of speak, and so much more I can begin to say’ So when I say I have to dig deep to find JOY!! it is just that, But The Joy! I get is all from my Heavenly Father Jesus, it is he who gives me life every day.. it is he who breathes air into my lungs and allows me to work on healing my heart, my soul.. ok ok! I guess I can keep going on.. But I do understand when we talk about Joy!! and I truly try to share a bit of it every day , even if I don’t know the person infront behind or on the side of me.. it all comes from my heavenly father Jesus..
@tisonlyme143
Dorothy! I love seeing you over here 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words. Whenever I read comments about someone really feeling like it was meant to be when they read something I wrote, I just know the Lord has an amazing plan. It reminds me of how much he loves each and every one of us.