Joy is one of those things in life that seems to be fleeting. This is because as the tides of life ebb and flow, as disappointments and tragedy occur, the ability to be joyful or maintain a level of joy seems almost impossible. Or at least that is how it feels.
As harsh as it may sound to some, our willingness to find or lose the joy of living is our choice.
Even saying this can cause anger and frustration for those who have experienced major difficulties in their life. Yet, it needs to be said because joy is not a passing moment or time in our life, joy is the by-product of realizing how truly blessed we are just to be living.
“Finding joy” in the middle of our circumstances we may face, though harder than it should be at times, is not impossible.
Here is where we must find the resolve to not allow our circumstances to steal our joy.
One of the beauties of aging and experience is we can look back, survey, and assess our lives. When we do, if we are honest, we can see joy in both the struggles and pains we have gone through and overcome.
How? By remembering many times, the struggles, and the situations we have gone through began with a sense of joy. We can see this as we remember how we felt in each new relationship or how we feel in our successes or in sharing our lives with someone else.
This is where “finding joy” can be seen despite the pain of losing someone we love, or in a past failure, hurt or pain.
As I look back, I realize the times of struggle and loss, though real, did not stop me from experiencing joy. I stopped experiencing joy because I lost sight of the source of that joy. For me that source comes from a deep and abiding love of Jesus and is realizing just how blessed my life is. This is not a by-product of a religion; it is being aware of the presence of God in my life.
The truth is we cannot find joy if we do not know the source of all joy.
Even then, “finding joy” is not sustainable if we see it as happiness. Happiness is a feeling; joy is a state of being. Circumstances can affect our ability to be happy. We are the only ones who can allow life to affect our state of being, or another way to say it, is to affect who and whose we are.
If “finding joy” in every circumstance is possible. Why would we not choose to do so. If you are being told by someone Jesus is the source of all joy in their lives, why would you not want to consider the possibility, He can be the source of joy in your life too.
My hope in writing this is to help someone see, “finding joy” is found when we find Jesus.
So, if you are seeking joy or desirous of it in your life, have you looked to Jesus? If not, why not? I believe when you do, you will see, finding Jesus is where you find JOY!
1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Be joyful always.”
