" To miss out on joy is to miss out on the reason for your existence." -Lewis Smedes
God created us to be joyful. I believe we are glorifying him the most when we have so much joy overflowing inside of us that we cannot help but pour it into others. I don't know about you but I don't remember making a difference in someones life when I was having a bad day. No one benefits from it, especially not yourself.
Yes trouble and bad days will come and happen more frequently than I would like but
"the joy of the Lord is my strength"
I'm reading "The Life You've Always Wanted" by John Ortberg for my christian thought class and it's bomb. I just read the chapter on joy which is why I'm writing this. He suggests something so easy and I'm guessing something so beneficial to fix this problem of being "joyless." Ortberg says, PRACTICE CELEBRATION. Isn't that cool?
Surround yourself with encouraging people, turn your music up in the car and sing, eat your FAVORITE food (don't even think about calories ;) ) call your best friend and talk about your favorite memories, and while doing whatever makes you joyful, thank God for giving you life to enjoy all of it. I believe if we do this a little everyday, and our hearts are filled with more joy, that our lives would be different and our ministry would be more affective.
Today I thank God for:
-a dry sunny day
-time for rest
-Arielle coming to visit me in a week
-His answering of my prayers
-Chipotle (which I'm getting later)
-the community here at school
2 comments:
oh my gosh! i read the life you always wanted last year for a class.
i loved it. absolutely loved it.
such a good book.
This brings a smile to face, knowing that you're being joyful.
Joy is so amazing to me because it isn't based on emotions or stuff, it is based on your eternal perspective and gratefulness to God for who He is. Therefore, no matter what kind of day you're having, joy can spring forth from your heart because your reminded of who God is, and it can't help but motivate you to celebrate and praise God throughout your day!
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