Joy! What is it? Where does it come from? What street corner can I buy some on?
Joy is something God's been speaking to me a lot about in the past few months due to my own circumstances, and tonight during the prayer meeting he reminded me once more and I thought I should share on it.
Let's start here. Joy is a gift. Who doesn't love gifts?! Similar to the gift of Salvation and in package with the Holy Spirit it's something we receive from our good Father. That means it's not ours to give away, nor anybody (or anything) else's to take from us.
Before we go any further we need to understand something and that is- joy is not synonymous to happiness. Happiness is an emotion. An emotion that is dictated for the most part by circumstance and situation. You buy an ice- cream, you're happy! Drop the ice- cream and suddenly not so happy. Joy however is not so easily manipulated. Joy isn't an emotion; joy is a tree planted in your heart with deep and strong roots sprouting day in and out that cannot be shaken by the weathering of this life. It thrives in the rain and basks in the sunshine and perpetually gives you a reason to praise. This kind of joy is a treasure found in one place alone. You can't buy it, you can't earn it but what you can do it open it.
So you're saved hallelujah! For those who have a "Salvation moment" it's great because you can just celebrate on the spot and be joyful. But there's the Christians who have grown up knowing Jesus and Christians who've been on the road a long time and skeptical Christians and bored Christians who sometimes forget Joy's a thing. For those of YOU who are reading this, get out that ol' treasure chest and dust it off 'cause baby it's time be reminded of that first love. I know you sang "down in my heart to stay", but don't restrict it from showing in your life. Use your words, use your actions, use your thoughts and your thanks. I know life can be tough- believe me!- but that's where the best opportunity to show your inside joy on the outside comes in.
It can be difficult to hear this sometimes, but in the midst of EVERY circumstance, we should praise God. You've heard that a million times, I know, but it's repeated because it is the truth.
Nehemiah said "Don't be dejected and sad, for the JOY of the Lord is our strength."
These past two years have been the most trying of my life so far, and it might seem crazy to some, but I rejoice for them every day. Why? Because every day when I glance over my shoulder I can see that my God has been my strength. He directed my path, He picked me up when I fell. He constantly reminded me that I was not alone and put new songs of praise in my heart. I would never have made it this far had my redeemer not been with me. During the troubles it can feel He is nowhere to be found, but when faith is tested and you turn to Him for reassurance, His presence causes a Peace that you can't understand because, well why would you be able to understand Peace when the person you love is dying? Why would you understand Peace when the voices are against you? When it seems that nothing is going right? By human standards you cannot. But the "Peace that surpasses understanding" calms your heart, and how can joy cease to erupt there? His Joy is what gives me the strength to keep going. That doesn't mean my heart isn't broken. That doesn't mean every day is easy buns, or that I don't miss those who have gone before me, but it means that my Savior is greater than what this life throws at me and I know that He has it all under control.
I know I don't always have a smile on my face, or always say the most positive things and to those this may have effected, I'm sorry. I can only hope you've seen more of the Lord's Joy in me than you've seen Jenny's miserableness.
Joy is also a fruit of the Spirit. We find it after Love. It's right after love. I don't think this coincidental. We learn to exercise Joy through the Holy Spirit working and chipping away at your old you. We learn to let it out of the cage instead of trying to control it. It's exciting! It gives that inside smiling feeling. It does weird things to you, that you can't explain to people. It makes you cry at bible verses and laugh uncontrollably when you're praying or air punch and stuff when you're talking to someone else who's got it. It's crazy and I can't explain it. It's beautiful. It's what it feels like to be in love with Jesus. To be in love with what He has done and is doing.
The world might try and convince you joy is something you can find from "good times bruh" or people or places or substances but real Joy, they can't understand it because they don't have the real Joy- giver. Let them see it through you and then they'll go seek it for themselves. It's only found in one place so if you got it flaunt it. Flaunt it hard.
Let your Joy be unbreakable. Let it be untouchable and unstoppable.
Let your challenge be this- exercise your Joy. Take it out of the wrapper and throw away the cardboard box because why would you want to put it away again?
Joy is something God's been speaking to me a lot about in the past few months due to my own circumstances, and tonight during the prayer meeting he reminded me once more and I thought I should share on it.
Let's start here. Joy is a gift. Who doesn't love gifts?! Similar to the gift of Salvation and in package with the Holy Spirit it's something we receive from our good Father. That means it's not ours to give away, nor anybody (or anything) else's to take from us.
Before we go any further we need to understand something and that is- joy is not synonymous to happiness. Happiness is an emotion. An emotion that is dictated for the most part by circumstance and situation. You buy an ice- cream, you're happy! Drop the ice- cream and suddenly not so happy. Joy however is not so easily manipulated. Joy isn't an emotion; joy is a tree planted in your heart with deep and strong roots sprouting day in and out that cannot be shaken by the weathering of this life. It thrives in the rain and basks in the sunshine and perpetually gives you a reason to praise. This kind of joy is a treasure found in one place alone. You can't buy it, you can't earn it but what you can do it open it.
So you're saved hallelujah! For those who have a "Salvation moment" it's great because you can just celebrate on the spot and be joyful. But there's the Christians who have grown up knowing Jesus and Christians who've been on the road a long time and skeptical Christians and bored Christians who sometimes forget Joy's a thing. For those of YOU who are reading this, get out that ol' treasure chest and dust it off 'cause baby it's time be reminded of that first love. I know you sang "down in my heart to stay", but don't restrict it from showing in your life. Use your words, use your actions, use your thoughts and your thanks. I know life can be tough- believe me!- but that's where the best opportunity to show your inside joy on the outside comes in.
It can be difficult to hear this sometimes, but in the midst of EVERY circumstance, we should praise God. You've heard that a million times, I know, but it's repeated because it is the truth.
Nehemiah said "Don't be dejected and sad, for the JOY of the Lord is our strength."
These past two years have been the most trying of my life so far, and it might seem crazy to some, but I rejoice for them every day. Why? Because every day when I glance over my shoulder I can see that my God has been my strength. He directed my path, He picked me up when I fell. He constantly reminded me that I was not alone and put new songs of praise in my heart. I would never have made it this far had my redeemer not been with me. During the troubles it can feel He is nowhere to be found, but when faith is tested and you turn to Him for reassurance, His presence causes a Peace that you can't understand because, well why would you be able to understand Peace when the person you love is dying? Why would you understand Peace when the voices are against you? When it seems that nothing is going right? By human standards you cannot. But the "Peace that surpasses understanding" calms your heart, and how can joy cease to erupt there? His Joy is what gives me the strength to keep going. That doesn't mean my heart isn't broken. That doesn't mean every day is easy buns, or that I don't miss those who have gone before me, but it means that my Savior is greater than what this life throws at me and I know that He has it all under control.
I know I don't always have a smile on my face, or always say the most positive things and to those this may have effected, I'm sorry. I can only hope you've seen more of the Lord's Joy in me than you've seen Jenny's miserableness.
Joy is also a fruit of the Spirit. We find it after Love. It's right after love. I don't think this coincidental. We learn to exercise Joy through the Holy Spirit working and chipping away at your old you. We learn to let it out of the cage instead of trying to control it. It's exciting! It gives that inside smiling feeling. It does weird things to you, that you can't explain to people. It makes you cry at bible verses and laugh uncontrollably when you're praying or air punch and stuff when you're talking to someone else who's got it. It's crazy and I can't explain it. It's beautiful. It's what it feels like to be in love with Jesus. To be in love with what He has done and is doing.
The world might try and convince you joy is something you can find from "good times bruh" or people or places or substances but real Joy, they can't understand it because they don't have the real Joy- giver. Let them see it through you and then they'll go seek it for themselves. It's only found in one place so if you got it flaunt it. Flaunt it hard.
Let your Joy be unbreakable. Let it be untouchable and unstoppable.
Let your challenge be this- exercise your Joy. Take it out of the wrapper and throw away the cardboard box because why would you want to put it away again?