JOY: Not Just for Christmas!

by Laurie Ness

We hear a lot about joy this time of year, though some may find it difficult, impossible even, to feel like they are experiencing it.  Does joy elude you this time of year?  You're not alone!  Or maybe this is the one time of year joy seems to come easily, but it's a struggle at other times?  You're not alone, either!  I personally have been in both those places at different times in my life, and I know many others have as well.  I've learned some things about joy along the way, and, though I'm still not always consistent in walking in joy every second of every day, I'd love to share with you some ways to make joy real in our lives.  We can encourage each other! :)

Differentiate between joy and happiness.  Is it possible to be unhappy and joyful?  Absolutely!  "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds . . ." (James 1:2).  James goes on to describe why we should consider our trials pure joy (great reading!), but my point here is that James's God-inspired writing tells us that trials are a cause for joy!  See, happiness is an emotion.  Joy is an attitude.  Our emotions are random and unreliable, while our attitudes are chosen and nurtured by us!  Joy and happiness may coincide at time, but they are not equal.

Take our eyes off ourselves.  Some of the most joyless people around are those who think only of themselves.  There's little room for joy in the life of someone busy protecting her own wants, her own needs, her own dreams.  There may be a momentary sense of satisfaction in getting her own way, but those closed fists and hearts are not open to grasp true joy!

Live obediently.   "Light shines on the righteous, and joy on the upright in heart.  Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name."  (Psalm 97:11-12)  If we choose to give up our own foolish ways and obey the one, true, wise God, there is such joy to be found in that obedience.  When we glorify Him in our actions, words, thoughts and attitudes, we can't help but to experience true joy!

Focus on Him.  However our circumstances look or feel to us, they don't change the fact that God never leaves us nor forsakes us, that He has a plan for our lives, and that He is the only One seeing the big picture.  The things we can't figure out are no mystery to Him, including the reasons He allows upsetting events in our lives.  Spend time praising Him for His sovereignty and constancy!

Practice contentment.  Count your blessings, start a gratitude journal, tell everyone on Facebook what you're thankful for . . . whatever it takes to help focus on the silver lining.  Sometimes the "only" thing we can muster up is that God is still there and that He loves us and is in control.  But what an awesome truth to cling to!  There's no silver lining that can beat that.  If everything on earth is falling apart around us, God is our rock, and He wants us to be content in Him!

So, whenever we are struggling to find joy, whether it be during the holidays or any other time of year, we need to examine our lives and see what we are doing, or not doing, that snuffs out that joy.  The joy is always there--we just need to exercise it!  And none of us needs to go it alone.  Share your struggles with someone and allow them to bless you with prayer support and encouragement.  Then do the same for someone else! :)

Additional Reading:

The book of James (or at least 1:1-8)  :)
Psalm 30:11
Psalm 118:24
Psalm 40:16

Life is Tough, but God is Faithful, by Sheila Walsh
Calm My Anxious Heart, by Linda Dillow

Sweet Stewardship

by Laurie Ness

Though I haven't agreed with her every word, I'm often inspired by the life and words of the dear woman known as Mother Teresa.  She makes me think of sweetness, a quality that appears to be more and more lacking in our world. She seems to have had an incredible balance of sweetness and a no-nonsense approach to life.  Talk about a good steward!  From my readings on the life of this remarkable woman, my conclusion is that she wasted little, if anything.

And I'm not just talking about any money or material goods she ever possessed!

When we hear the word "stewardship," it's easy to think of money--how to spend it, how to save it, how to give it.  While this is a very important aspect of stewardship, I think I'll refer you to the brilliant Dave Ramsey for further study on that subject and focus here instead on some of the other areas of stewardship the Bible encourages us to take seriously.

Our time.  Time is an extremely easy thing to waste, isn't it?  Are we even conscious of all the means we have available to us that waste time, especially in this day and age?  Many of these activities are not wrong in and of themselves, but anything that consumes too many of our minutes or hours to the detriment of what we should be doing is a problem.

Keeping a time journal each day is an enlightening way to see the whole picture of how our time is spent.  When we pinpoint activities that are time-wasting traps for us, we know exactly what to watch out for.  It is helpful to many women to create a daily schedule, plotting out the entire day on paper, including some "down time" to spend on enjoyable activities.  Quite like making a money budget, a time budget allows one to accomplish all the necessary things while allowing a reasonable amount of guilt-free time to relax.  "Teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12.  We aren't guaranteed tomorrow . . . we need to make the most of our time!

Our words.
      "Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."   Mother Teresa

I truly dislike, hate even, how I feel after my own careless words.  As a mom, I find that I have that feeling much more than I ever did before.  Frustrating days make it easy for me to let my guard down and just let loose with my words without filtering them through love and wisdom.  I don't call my son names or curse at him, but some of my careless words probably do just as much harm, just a little more subtly, gradually.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord, my rock and my Redeemer"  Psalm 19:14

Maybe you don't have children, but perhaps there are people in your life who annoy or irritate you?  Or maybe there is no one who, in your opinion, is worth the effort to carefully choose your words.  I would encourage you (and myself) to speak kindly to everyone, whether or not we feel they deserve it!  This, of course, does not mean we don't need to hold people accountable when necessary.  But this can be done with love and kindness as well.  God wants us to be careful in our speech!

Our opportunities.  God has something for us to do for Him every day!  Even days we never leave our homes are full of opportunities-- to minister to our families, spend time praying for everyone we can think of, study Scripture, write notes of encouragement, and many others.  Do we take the time when we wake up in the morning to offer our day up to Him, offering to joyfully do whatever He asks of us?

In Ephesians 5, we are told to, "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (verses 15-16)

It's hard to think about what might be lost because of our wasted opportunities, but it's no better to choose to call something an opportunity from God when we are actually bent on doing something outside His will.  May we learn to willingly "tune in" to what God has for us to do and determine ourselves to walk where He leads, not veering off His path in any direction!