We talked about the products of joy in the last entry. But what about the other side? What kinds of things result in joy? Is there any way we can develop joy in our lives? Joy only comes from God, but are there things we can do to help us experience the joy that God has given through His Spirit?
I think I talked before about slowing down. This is key, I think. In slowing down in our daily lives, we learn to appreciate the gifts that God has given us. We are better able to recognize the simple moments of joy that surround us all the time. And we can hear God's voice and direction more readily. Slowing down includes taking time to just sit and spend time with God. When we strengthen that relationship, we will be better able to experience all that God wants to give us, including true joy. Psalm 21:6, among other verses, states that the presence of the Lord brings joy. Spending time with God will bring us joy.
We can also learn to just take pleasure in things. Eating the good food God has provided, or just taking pleasure in the company of friends and family. In the Bible, references to joy are often linked to feasting and fellowship. God gives us pleasures so that we can learn and experience joy through them. So, let's not feel guilty about enjoying that which God has given us. I'm not talking about over-indulging or being gluttonous. That is certainly not what God intends and that is clear from Scripture, too. But when we can learn to enjoy the pleasures of life without giving the enjoyment of those pleasures the position of greatest importance, we will experience joy.
Seeing each day as a gift from God will also bring us joy. Each day is a gift. Each day of health for me and my family is a gift. Each day I can spend with those I love, or doing something I love to do, is a gift. Sometimes we need an attitude adjustment to recognize it, but if we discipline ourselves to start thinking this way, God promises to bring us joy.
Laugh. One of the products of joy that I mentioned in the last post is laughter. So, let's learn to laugh more often. This goes along with the enjoyment of life, I suppose. And isn't laughter truly a gift? If you haven't had a good belly laugh for awhile, try to remember how good it felt to just sit and laugh. Try to associate with people who bring laughter into your life. Those people are gifts from God who can help you to experience joy more fully. A few people in my life come to mind when I think of laughter and joy. My brother and sister are two of them. When we are all together, we can laugh like at no other time. Part of that is a lifetime of experiences together. But it always feels good to laugh with them.
I'm sure there are more things out there and we will talk about them in a later post, but for now, try to put some of these things in your life right now and see if it helps you to be more joyful. As always, let me know your thoughts, experiences, and progress!
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I feel joy when I hear praise songs. We usually have the radio on most of the day.
ReplyDelete"The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song." Ps 28:7 (NIV)
I guess for me, it’s getting into the Word more and trusting more and then also identify the things that steal my joy. This is probably a whole other post but I’m realizing little things that get to me that I just brush off as normal daily things but it’s probably satan stealing my joy. I need to identify that and refocus my attitude.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 (NIV)
For example, I’m realizing that when my house is a mess and getting real dirty, it makes me anxious and I just have the feeling like I’m falling behind, I can’t keep up - it gets me down. And when my house is clean, I feel relaxed – more in control, I guess. I’m trying to learn to let some of it go and remember what is more important. Spending time playing with my child (now that he actually likes spending time with me) is far more important than cleaning up the kitchen at this moment.
Then, also, simply getting into the word and putting it to action. Why is it so hard to do?
"[The Armor of God] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Eph 6:10-11 (NIV)