Thursday, June 14, 2012

Devotion: Finding JOY

Remember that JOY is NOT dependent on your circumstances. Some of the world’s most miserable people are those whose circumstances seem the most enviable. People who reach the top of the ladder career-wise are often surprised to find emptiness awaiting them,. True joy is a by-product of living in His presence. Therefore you can experience it in palaces, in prisons…..anywhere.

Do not judge a day as devoid of joy just because it has difficulties. Instead, concentrate on staying in communication with Him.  Many of the problems that clamor for your attention will resolve themselves. Other matters you must deal with, but trust Him to help you with them. If you make problem solving secondary to the goal of living close to the Lord, you can find joy even in your most difficult days.

Pinned Image

I talked with a close friend tonight about their negative attitude. This person is ALWAYS complaining, grumbling, and seeing the worst in every situation and circumstance. I explained that we get to choose our perspective. It’s a choice we make in every day, hour, and moment, of how we want to respond to things. This person said they consider themselves a “realist.” Perhaps, but we can still choose to focus on the positives in our reality.

I reminded this person that if we choose to focus on the negatives, it’s almost like we are slapping God in the face. Like we are ungrateful for all of our blessings. He has given all of us SO MUCH to be grateful for, but we allow Satan to steal our thankfulness and our joy by choosing to focus on our circumstances rather than our blessings. Man, what a miserable way to go through life.

Sometimes it’s important to stop and reflect. To think about how you view life. Are you seeing things through a Godly perspective??

What kind of person are you like to be around? Are you someone YOU would enjoy bring around?? I think about some of my favorite qualities in the people I love. They are kind, understanding, generous, loving, accepting, forgiving, full of mercy and grace, encouraging, uplifting, joyful, optimistic, smiling….Interestingly enough, those are all qualities that reflect Christ too. THAT is what I want to be.

It’s never too late to change. And thankfully, it’s not an overwhelming task- all you have to do is ask for help. That’s what He desires, is to help us. We can do ALL things through Him, and the victory has already been won. Isn’t that reassuring??

Find your joy.

2 comments:

Lydia - Running Wild(er) said...

Thanks for sharing this! It's a good reminder. I find myself dwelling on certain negatives in my life (fertility issues) and sometimes failing to rejoice in all the JOY I do have in my life. I love James 1:2-3...need to cling to it at times!

Rachel said...

Thanks so much for sharing!
I love reading positive things like this and I wish people would focus more on joyful occurrences than negative ones! :)