Rev. Richard Smith
| From Psalm 100 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness… For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. |
Did you know that the word “joy” appears in the Bible more times than the word “prayer”; more times than the word “forgiveness”; and more times than the word “grace”. When it comes to the primary qualities of dynamic Christian living, only the words “love” and “faith” are found more often in the Bible than the word “joy”. With that truth in mind, let me share TEN practices and principles by which we can be the joyous persons God wants us to be.
Recognize That Joy Is A Choice One Makes
I think most of you are familiar with the notable work by Victor Frankl titled, Man’s Search for Meaning. In this book Frankl recounts his experiences as a prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp during WWII. He wrote, Everything can be taken from us but one thing…the freedom to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. To choose joy when life would indicate otherwise is a choice each of us can make.
Now there is a disclaimer I need to make at this point. I want to be sure and say that what I’m offering here does not apply to those who are battling chemical or clinical depression. Yet, the average one of us can choose to joy in our lives in spite of life’s circumstances!
Give Proper Attention To The Primary Relationships In Your Life
There are certain truths you and I need to remember when it comes to the primary relationships in our lives.
- None of us are emotional islands who can life’s ups and downs without the support of others.
- Every moment spent with people who matter to us feeds our spirits and nourishes our souls.
- The primary relationships in our lives are a gift from God meant to bring us blessing and joy.
Want to experience deeper joy? Give proper time and attention to the people who matter to you!
Choose To Take Care Of Yourself Physically
While none of us can avoid illness and physical setbacks, there is no question that the more we take care of ourselves physically, the more joy we find in life. Active, healthy people are happier people! Spiritual thinkers and cultural philosophers all agree on this tenet!
Let The Past Be The Past
There is no question that we should be willing to learn from the past – our past mistakes, our past failures, our past failed relationships, our past poor choices…and we each have them. And, of course, we should seek to correct past behaviors which need correcting, or make amends where necessary for past actions. This doesn’t mean, however, that we let the past diminish our present and future joy and peace. The past is gone; it is finished; we cannot change one that has already happened.
Recognize That Getting More Stuff Isn’t The Answer
One contemporary thinker says, The world continually tells us that our life consists in the abundance of possessions. Our culture shouts to us that more money and more things will make us happy. And so we still find ourselves devoting a great deal of our time, talents, and resources to the acquisition of more stuff. In the end, we sooner or later discover that things do not make us truly happy.
Jesus certainly put it directly for us when he said, as recorded in Luke 12:15, Watch out! Be on your guard…life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.
Learn To Laugh At Yourself
Proverbs 17:22 says, “Laughter is good medicine.” I think one could expand that to say, “Laughing at ourselves is good medicine.” We are going to embarrass ourselves. We are going to do dumb things. We are going to find ourselves saying, “I can’t believe I said that”; “I can’t believe I just did that.”
I learned early in my ministry that if I couldn’t laugh at myself, I was going to have one miserable ministry journey. We all have such moments. We all do dumb things. We all have those harmless mistakes when the best we can do is laugh at ourselves. Joyful people know this!
Faithfully Practice Little Acts of Kindness
We should not for one moment minimize the difference little acts of kindness can make in another person’s life or day. You can be the one who that very day in that very moment lifts someone’s spirit’s whose having a tough time. The clerk in the store. The person you meet in the hallway. The co-worker. The person you pass on the street. The family member. The friend. And guess what? Who gets the blessing of this? They do and we do. As someone has said, “Kindness is its own reward.” I believe that.
Live Daily An Attitude of Gratitude
I read recently a quote on gratitude, on having a grateful spirit in life, which was quite interesting. The author, Neale Donald Walsch, wrote: Gratitude is the miracle cure for every moment of dis-ease. Gratitude is the fastest way to dissolve anxiety, to heal disappointment, to replace negative vibes with positive vibes. Gratitude is the ‘miracle cure’ for what ails us and the primary connecting point with God.
Gratitude, being thankful for the bountiful daily blessings however small in our lives, is the primary emotional and spiritual conduit for connecting with God says this author.
Find Your Niche In God’s Work In The World
The truth is each of us can do something; each of us has something to offer; each of us can find some way our talents, our time, our resources can be used for the well-being of God’s world. And in so doing, we’re not only fulfilling God’s call; we’re allowing joy to imprint itself in our lives!
Steadily Lean On The Power And Help of God
Happy are those who have learned that there are regular spiritual venues through which God comes to us and helps us! Happy are those who truly do lean on God; who truly do know that He is with us every step of the way; who believe that He is ever present to help us and sustain us.
