Jesus. Others. You. 😄🙌
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." ~ Romans 15:13
There are unavoidable times and seasons in our lives when a firm grasp on deep-seated joy... or even shallow joy for that matter... seems utterly elusive.
It could be due to personal challenges, or being bombarded by more global goings-on around you. Sometimes it just feels like the wellspring of joy within you has summarily dried up and sprung its last spring of happiness.
To be honest, this is a fight that is not unfamiliar to the Christian walk. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Even if most won't admit it, most people, even Children of God struggle to remind themselves of reasons to be joy-driven, and even when one manages to jumpstart such head knowledge, oftentimes the heart still fails to comply and cooperate.
While there is no magical shortcut or spiritual switch that can merely be flipped to "get back on the joy train", there is a secret worth sharing that can help to overcome the struggle.
Sometimes we fall to the ground, but the staircase back to the top is made up of three steps.
- Jesus.
Take a moment. It's okay to set aside whatever other things might be pressing on your agenda at the moment. Truth be told, on a joy-strained day, almost everything will seem urgent and a little stressful. So, afford yourself a little pause and reflection to think on those things that Jesus stands for, that Jesus has done and that Jesus promises. The beautiful handiwork of God is all around us always. It's amazing the effect of allowing the osmosis of His glory into our life-stained world. Then just rejoice at having such a wonderful God who knows everything about you and cares about you regardless of your faults, your flaws or your malfunctions.
- Others.
Pick out someone. A friend. Someone God's doing something for/in, or has done something for/in recently. Better yet, call them up/link them up and marvel at the goodness of God together. Then just rejoice with them over their Blessing. There is immense encouragement that comes from the fellowship and the camaraderie that we have with fellow believers in Christ and an opportunity to genuinely celebrate with another who has tasted and understands God's goodness can be unbelievably uplifting.
- You.
Look within your own self. Examine your own life and ponder some of the things that Jesus has done. That you've seen Him do or that you've experienced yourself. Try to remember just how He came through for you that time, when really He didn't have to... and truthfully you didn't even know if He would. Then rejoice at what a loving, wonderful, dependable God you've got... and who's got your back.
The truth is that there are so many entities out there vying for your attention, with many of them enviously plotting to steal your joy.
They try to replace your Godly contentment with an insatiable desire for more. They try to feed your sense of inadequacy with the burdens of comparison with others. They try to dampen your fulfilment with the convincing facade of perfection beaming from the lives of your neighbours.
As the song says, don't let nobody steal your joy, not your joy in the Holy Ghost, not your joy in the Lord. So the next time you feel yourself slipping down, just remember to get right back up, one step at a time: Jesus. Others. You.