By Sharon Chiellini A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones. Proverbs 15:30
My mother always taught me that worry is a sin. If you allow yourself to dwell on the negative events or circumstances that may or may not transpire, you are not exercising your faith that God has a plan and He is in control.
Since worry is not something I regularly struggle with (thanks MOM!) I have challenged myself a step further. In my own faith dance, grasping hold of my joy and not letting go is my greatest challenge. When I turn on my cell phone in the morning, the words "Got the Joy?" appear at the top of my screen to remind me to make sure I hold on tight to my joy at the crack of dawn. (Not that I get up that early, but it sounded good.)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5:22&23
Being joyful is far different than being happy. Happiness is fleeting, but joy comes from within directly from the Holy Spirit. Joy cannot be taken from us unless we allow it. We all know from experience that worry can rob us of our joy, but the one thing that is a joy "delete" button for me is being around people with a negative attitude. I come in contact with many people during the course of my day, by phone, email or in person, whose attitude whether good or bad is like a liquid that I am required to either absorb like a sponge or repel like a windshield.
Good attitudes from positive people replenish our joy juice. We need to constantly discern those people in our lives that are sponge worthy and those that are not. It is also important to point out, that if you have been robbed of your joy today even though you have been surrounded by people who are sponge worthy, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but YOU may be the one who is spewing the joy killing venom. Time to regroup and spend a little time with the Lord. Joy comes from the Father.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:19
I pray that those I come in contact with feel that I am worthy of bringing out the sponge in them and not the windshield. I also pray that God fill me with plenty of "Joy Juice" to share with the sponges around me.
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Until next time my friend
Strength and honor in Christ
