Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Choosing Joy

In the ups and downs of life, God is still there…

Hi Readers,

Today isn’t the best day for me emotionally. It seems as if everything that is wrong in my life or hasn’t come to pass yet is flashing before my eyes.

You know, it’s very funny how we intend for our lives to be perfect just because we are saved. God never said things would work this way. In this life, there are heartaches. There are letdowns. There are also disappointments.

Joy is not a feeling; it is a choice. We have to choose to count our blessings and rejoice. Last night, I was feeling a little down after receiving some disappointing news. My initial reaction was to sit in my bedroom and cry, but then I began to reflect on the goodness of God. I remembered how I used to live in a dingy one-bedroom apartment. I remembered how terrible the neighborhood used to be. I began to walk through my house saying, “God I thank you for your protection. I thank you for moving me to a better neighborhood. I thank you for a change in scenery. I thank you for a beautiful home. I thank you for a loving husband.”

After a while, my blues seemed to fade away. It’s amazing how a single moment of gratitude will change your whole outlook on life. Of course, yesterday’s gratitude did not sustain me through today. I woke up this morning confronted with the same situation. Depression tried to sneak up on me, but I remembered that joy is a choice. I choose to have the joy of the Lord. I choose to let him fight my battles. I choose to trust him. I choose to stay in love with Him.

Do you have joy? If you don’t, you can get it today. All you have to do is choose to take your eyes off of your situation and focus your eyes on Christ. Choose to have an attitude of gratitude. The best way to forget about your problems is to think on your blessings.

Spend some time meditating on today’s scriptures:

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Psalm 42:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior


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