Journey towards Joy

by mtnorwaymommy

Sometimes I whine.

Other days I obsess over the state of things. Mad Politics. Bad news. Sad gossip…..

Don’t get me wrong.  I am incredibly blessed.  Yet, in the quiet, I find it easy to marinate in despondency. Darkness. Disappointment. The half empty.

In a world that is overcome with depression and anxiety, I want to beat the norm and live a life full of JOY.  Searching, seeking for this, I look to my favorite resource for all wisdom, God’s word.  Come along with me.

I think we can find “steps to Joy” in Philippians 4.  Good writing, Paul!  Great truth. Read it.  All of it.

 ^“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Phil. 4:4-8

Just Do it!

So, I looked up “rejoice,” just checking to see how much “joy” is connected to this vigorous admonition, commanding us to rejoice.  Here you go:

Rejoice: Feel or show great joy or delight.

What I see here, is that to show joy is an important form of rejoicing.  Do I always feel joyful? Nope.  Can I express authentic joy, even in the absence of emotion.  Evidently. Is this “faking it?” No.  I think we can be honest about our struggles with sorrow, but continue to express joy.

As I followed up on this exhortation, I saw the key elements of a path to both peace and joy in the verses following.

Love Others

“Gentleness… evident to all.”  Whew!  What a powerful phrase.  Loving people brings joy.  How can I love others today?  When I look up from my own belly button, the world expands.  I experience a richer, fuller life.  Relationships blossom.  Pray for an outward focus, rather than a constant “me” analysis.  When I am busy doing good to others, my heart fills up.  When I have a coffee visit, sharing my heart and listening to a friend, my heart fills up. Great spiritual science.

Up above you see a photo of me with some of my people: My mom, brother and sister, and a nephew.  Spending time with people I love fills me up.  Hangout with people that love you and listen to you and speak truth to you. Delight in those relationships.

Thankful Prayer

Instead of bleeding out in worry, turn to God with thankful prayer.  The load of your concerns, fears, troubles, is too great alone, but with the irrational peace of the Lord, you can live joyfully, in the middle of every situation. Persist in prayer.  Stubbornly sing praises. Choose a thankful response.  Let your anxieties fade from the spotlight of center stage.

Eat Clean Mentally

How are you spending your thought life?  I know I can go from joyful to despairing, if I focus on the waves of this world, rather than the One who calms the storm.  “True, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.” God, who created the human psyche, knows that we “are what we eat.”  In your search for truth, eat cleanly.

I love politics, blogs, news, people stories.  But sometimes, they bring me down.  I wrestle with the balance of my info hobby and my need for joy.  Being sure I spend time in God’s word, soaking in some worship music, asking the positive update questions, reading encouraging words.  These help me keep my mental diet balanced.  Still working on this….

Be Obedient

Live by the wisdom God gives. We know these things. Go beyond knowledge, and put them in to practice. Have we learned that God is a perfect, loving, all-wise and all-powerful Father, who really does have our best in mind?  Do you trust that the God of the ages maybe has a bit of an idea of how joy and life work?  Then follow Him and do what He says.

We usually know what to do.  We’ll be happier if we do it.

In all this, I am hoping you find Joy.  I am going to continue in my pursuit. It is a choice and a discipline….a journey and a joy.