What Brings You Joy?
What Brings You Joy?
It is has been quite a journey to discover what brings me joy. I have sought it out in places that I was sure would fulfill me. However, when all was said and done I realized I still felt empty. My various activities made me complacent for a short time, but nothing stuck. Not only that, but my emotional range was in direct relation to the events in my life. I have realized over time that it is not so much “what” I do but “how” I do it. Am I seeing the silver lining? Am I allowing space for grace and forgiveness? Am I controlling the situation or is the situation controlling me?
In saying this, true joy comes from the Lord, which brings a peace that passes all understanding. I have found that even in the midst of a defeating day I am better off to force myself to think of things which I am grateful for, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Coupled with the peace that the Lord promises, I am able to restructure my thinking which gives me a different perspective, thus changing how I react to the tough events. Don’t get me wrong there have been days that I wallowed in the things that brought me grief. I allowed myself to get wrapped up in the details of it all, which only increased my pain and frustration. In the end the only thing I accomplished was increasing the number of days that I was negatively affected by the event.
Do not allow outside circumstances to steal your joy or peace. You may not be in control of things that happen to you, but you are the only one who can control how you will handle them.
Robin
