Joyful Beginnings

In the past, I have lived a “half” life.  I went through the motions, allowed others to define my success and stayed on alert for dreadful things to happen instead of expecting good things. It was exhausting. More than anything, I wanted to feel as though I was living my life to its fullness. I wanted to experience joy throughout each day followed by peace in any circumstance. However, I had no idea how to achieve that state of being.

Joy and peace  are what I crave most in my life. What exactly is joy? It’s more than being happy. Happiness is an emotion that you experience. It comes and goes with a situation. Joy resides in your spirit and is a way of being. Joy doesn’t rely on circumstances but is developed within a person. It really is a way of living your life.

How do you live a life of joy? Great question. To a certain degree, that differs for every person, but I have discovered that it is a choice. You can choose to protect yourself from painful situations by building emotional barriers that others cannot penetrate. But by doing this, you also prevent joy from penetrating those walls. Joy is a decision to have a positive outlook despite your surroundings. Joy is believing in yourself and thinking the best of others. Joy is living in love. 

For most of my life, I never allowed myself to relax. I enjoyed moments such as family gatherings, vacations or time spent playing with my sons. However, once the event was over, I focused on preparing for the next trial ahead of me. This type of living doesn’t leave room for continuous joy. It focuses on the possibility of negative situations instead of choosing to be content in the now. 

Needless to say, always preparing for the next issue to arise is tiring. In my search for joy, I realized that I needed to place my trust in God and not myself. For me to break a lifetime of anticipating the worst required a major shift. When I began to focus on God’s will for my life instead of anticipating the next crisis, guess what I found? Joy. Unexplainable happiness that has changed my perspective. 

Choose joy as a lifestyle now. This requires putting your trust in God to fight your battles instead of relying on your own abilities. Joy is obtainable when you decide to do the following:

1.     Let go – Instead of constantly trying to figure things out in your life, allow God to direct you on the appropriate action to take. Following God’s direction daily leads you to joy. You are not alone; God is always with you. Trust Him to provide whatever strength is needed at the appropriate time. By doing this, you will become free to focus on loving others and being a positive influence instead of dreading the next problem that arises. It is true, there will always be problems in life, but how we face those problems dictates whether we allow ourselves to live a joyful life. 

2.     Stop the negativity – Refuse to allow negative thoughts to run through your mind. Replace them with positive thoughts. If you allow yourself to constantly relive your past mistakes in your thoughts, you will remain defeated. If, however, you focus your thoughts on your strengths, on the positive things or people in your life and on God’s promises your focus will remain positive. The battle begins with what you spend your time thinking. Draw strength by focusing on power thoughts, not on a personal pity party. 

3.     Be flexible – Life is everchanging which should create excitement, not dread. If you are stiff and rigid in the way you approach your life, you will never find peace. Relinquishing control to God instead of relying on your own abilities is critical to having a joyful life. I now see that trying to remain in control of every situation is not healthy or God’s plan. God will guide you through new and difficult situations. He provides the strength and agility needed to make it through any challenge successfully.

4.     Be thankful – This is a HUGE part of finding joy and peace. Until you stop to genuinely appreciate what you have been given, you will never find joy. The key here is to STOP and appreciate. Life is flowing past us at record speeds. There always seems to be another issue to address, another need to be met. It’s easy to forget to appreciate the things around us as we speed off to the next item on our to-do list. Carefully consider what you are thankful for in your life. Make it a point to thank other people for their kindness. Thank God daily for all that He has provided to you. And remember to state your thankfulness, not just think it. Words spoken release a power that you can use to promote a joyful life.

Joy Begins Now

The world today does not promote joy. It promotes self-sufficiency, love of material things and finding fault in others. To have joy means to value biblical principles instead of the values established by the world. Remember, God never changes. Do not allow the world and its demands to get in the way of your relationship with God. He will direct you to the path that leads to a joyful life. 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13