Many doors closed. Many dreams dashed. Hope lost for a very long time. Desire evaporated. Devastation all around. Mounting stress. Heart shattered. Through it all though I count it all joy.
I lived like that for many years. And with nonstop news of destruction it seems like joy would be the furthest thing from my mind. YET…..
Joy: The feeling and expression of the inner celebration and satisfaction of the soul that transcends circumstances.
Joy is a spiritual tranquility provided by God. Joy is not circumstantiality determined but divinely determined. The process of discovering the pure form of joy was grueling. It was hard-fought. But I knew if I couldn’t define what joy was then my life would continue to ebb and flow violently based on the emotional state of how I responded to my circumstances.
Condition of the heart in its openness to receive and respond to God’s Word will determine the Word’s effectiveness in a person’s life is how joy infiltrates into one’s life. Joy is rooted in the presence and work of Christ on the inside-not on the ever-changing circumstances of life outside of our control. Joy is the settled celebration of the soul within us even when circumstances don’t make us happy. Joy is the overflow of life, the stability inside despite chaos on the outside.
Once I grasped that joy is an inside job that I had to give God complete control of and surrender to, I was able to begin to experience the type of joy God had designed for me. There are still fleeting moments when I allow the stress of life to get to me but I remind myself or be reminded of the blessings I prayed for. That warms my heart and joy is able to settle into my spirit so I can be at ease. Yes, I said spirit and not soul. I’m not 100% there with joy settled in my soul but everyday I work towards that. Until then the Holy Spirit will have to lend me joy until I take full ownership of it within my soul.
Many of us (us is me y’all) stay grieved for so long because we stay focused on what’s so wrong rather than finding our chief joy in the Lord. Whether you read Scripture, study the Bible or recite affirmations, it all comes back to remembering that when you count it all joy God has given you power to stand firm victorious in the face of and despite negative blows in life trying to take you down. Joy is an inside job so open the door so it can come in.
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