JOY in the midst

Many of you know that I am a fairly upbeat person and that very few things can keep me down for very long. When I think of all the things I know about myself I have to say that I am most thankful to have an attitude of joy. In the bible joy is listed as second of the nine Fruit of the Spirit and IF it is listed in order of importance, and I believe it is, that makes it significant. Joy is a major topic in the Bible. In the King James Version, “joy” appears 158 times and “rejoice” 198 times (not counting other variations such as joyful, joyfully, joyous, jubilant, happy and glad ).  A lot of people think that joy and happiness are the same thing, and they are not. Happiness is an emotion that is subjective based on circumstances. Joy is an attitude regardless of circumstances.  Scientists say the emotion of happiness can be studied and measured because people can reliably and honestly self-report their increases and decreases in happiness levels.  Joy is a state of mind, a combination of emotions, and in the spiritual context is localized in our heart. Joy contains elements of contentment, confidence and hope and this is the joy I have come to be so thankful for. I value my faith in Christ not because of what I have learned about Him but because having a relationship with Him has allowed me to experience the Fruit of His Spirit and come to understand that my joy, my strength comes from His Spirit inside me that spreads from my heart to my mind and ultimately to my countenance (face).

I am constantly in awe of how God prepares us for the future as far back as our birth; He knew that I would need joy in order to face tomorrow. My childhood was turbulent at best. Later He also knew that in order for me to understand and deal with what was before me that I would have to personally experience things and so after the birth of my son I was diagnosed with Postpartum depression with some pretty severe anxiety attacks, the fear alone was paralyzing. Thankfully that was a temporary diagnosis but enough of an experience to be able to recognize it and come to understand it. I live with 3 individuals who struggle with depression and anxiety that when managed consistently can be less of a challenge but a challenge none the less.  Sometimes the weight of their struggles bear down on me and try to steal my joy, because of the negatively that is associated with depression and anxiety, and I have to find ways to refuel because they aren’t able to give me the encouragement and support that I can give them. I cannot express enough how “the Joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b) and how He never fails to place people in my life to give me support and encouragement. I am thankful for the people in my life, some are there to encourage and support me and some are there to stretch me so that I can grow and become stronger and a better version of myself and hopefully a version that reflects the Spirit that lives inside of me, although that is not always evident initially being human and all.

Today as I rejoice in the Spirit of Joy that lives within me I pray that joy will be abundant in your life that no matter what is going on, the trials, pain, any discouragement that the joy of Lord will be your strength and give you peace knowing that He is able and willing to provide whatever you need to find joy in the midst of the seasons of your life.