I Choose Joy

The joy of the Lord is my strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you felt joyful? Not happy. Not content. I’m talking pure, unadulterated joy – the kind that fills your heart, makes you want to sing, then spills out into a feeling you can hardly contain. Have you felt joyful lately? Have you ever felt that way? 

My life verse has always been Nehemiah 8:10: “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Joy is my super-power. I strive to not only be joyful but to spread joy wherever I can. One can’t exist without the other. When I feel God’s joy, I am strong; and I am strong because I feel God’s joy in my life. 

But where does joy originate? Sure, lots of things can make us happy – love, friendship, the beauty of the world around us, the comfort of someone who cares about us. Even chocolate chip cookies can make one happy. Trust me. I speak from experience on that one! 

Joy is different. Joy can only come from above. It’s a feeling I get when I feel close to God – when I’m worshipping Him. I feel His presence in music and in the beauty of the world around me. 

I felt that joy yesterday, as I traveled to spend the day with one of my best friends. The praise music I was listening to, the beauty of the sky as I drove, the sun shining down on me, and the magnificence of the low-country terrain around me, all culminated in a feeling of joy that was hard to contain. I sang along with the music and raised my hands in praise as I drove along the interstate, then onto the smaller highways that took me across the beautiful Broad River, near Beaufort, SC. 

Joy is more than a feeling – it’s a choice we make every day. We can let the burdens of life pull us down and divert our minds away from God’s grace, or we can find joy in the every day. 

Sure, my morning commute may take me longer than I’d like to, some days – but I get to listen to additional praise music when that happens, and extend my enjoyment of the sunrise. 

Yes, my job can be stressful – but I have a job when others don’t, and I work with amazing people. 

And, of course, my yard might require a lot of hot, sweaty work to maintain – but I have a beautiful piece of property that I can sit in and enjoy once the labor is complete. 

It’s all about perspective. Joy is a choice we make – a conscious perspective to focus on what is good, rather than what pulls us down. Life will continuously throw negativity your way.

Don’t let it. The choice is yours. Choose the right perspective. 

For me, I choose JOY!!