Choosing Joy

It is easy to be joyful when life is good. But other times, we can be so overwhelmed by the situations we find ourselves in and being joyful may not come as easily. We can get so caught up in our circumstances that we forget that we need to stop and rejoice and sing God’s praises even in the storm. So below, I’m going to share with you just a few of my thoughts on joy and how we can choose to be joyful no matter what we are going through:

1)      Joy is a command

1 Thessalonians says, ‘’Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’’ We should be rejoicing ALWAYS. That means in the good and the bad; whether we feel like being joyful or not. I know I definitely struggle with this. So why does God command us something so difficult? ‘For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’’ What a challenge. It’s not just a suggestion, it is God’s will for our lives. Not because God wants to set us an impossible task, but because He knows that rejoicing in everything will benefit us. It will make us more grateful of everything God has done for us and has given us. It’s out of love that God gives us these commands. Jesus says in John 15:1-8, “I am the true vine, and my Father the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes so that it may bear more fruit.” What is this fruit that Jesus is talking about? We find out in Galatians 5:22-24, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” Joy is a fruit of the Spirit – a fruit which as Christians we must bear, so that God can ‘prune us’ so we can bear more fruit and share that joy with others.

2)      Joy is a decision

There are many things that make us happy. Our friends, family, hobbies and passions, food, our pets, our favourite places, good health, etc. But if we had all of those things taken away from us, could we still find joy? Our answer to this question is most likely to be no, but it should be yes, because although we have all these things that make us happy for a time here on earth, as Christians, we have One thing which remains constant and that is God. Even if, like Job, we have everything stripped from us, we can still make the decision to remain joyful, knowing that we have a God who loves us, is steadfast and works everything for the good of those who love Him (See Romans 8:28). Choosing joy is deeply rooted in our faith, hope and trust in God. It's about choosing to be joyful despite your situation. It’s about making the decision to not let your day and what’s going on in your life define how you feel. It’s about choosing to rejoice and be thankful every day, no matter what, rejoicing in your Saviour and all that He has done for you. By choosing joy, we are choosing God and choosing to run to Him. And you don’t have to make this decision alone. We read in Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ God will give you the strength to choose joy in your life.

3)      Choosing joy is a sacrifice

In life, it is so much easier to be negative, because life gives us many things to be negative about. But God also gives us so many things to be thankful for. It’s not easy to choose joy, but we need to be thankful for everything God has blessed us with. Choosing joy is to sacrifice dwelling on the negatives for focusing on the positives. It is a sacrifice of what you want to do for who you want to become and who God wants you to become - someone who lives in the joy of Christ.

4)      Choosing joy redirects your focus

Choosing joy redirects your focus off the trials that you are facing in life, and back onto Jesus. There’s a quote I love: ‘’Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.” Joy redirects your focus off what the situations you face in life are and how big they are and onto who God is and how big He is. It helps you realise that whatever season you are in, you are not alone and Jesus is right there beside you, holding your hand and helping you along.

5)      True joy comes from knowing Christ

In John 15:11 Jesus says, ‘These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.’ ‘These things’ which Jesus was talking about, was abiding in His love. If we abide in Christ’s love, His joy will remain in us, and our joy will be full. True joy comes from Christ and His love for us. If we truly understand what that means, how can we not rejoice?! If we know Christ and what He has done for us, we know that our sufferings and trials here on earth are only temporary, and we can rejoice knowing that this is not the end. Like it says in 1 Peter 8-9, ‘’Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.’’ We can rejoice knowing that our suffering is not the end, and knowing that as Christians, the end is eternal life with our Father.

So you might now be wondering what choosing joy might look like practically. Some things that I try to do (but I’ll be honest, am not very good at being consistent with!) that you might find helpful is just to each day, choose to find (maybe 10) things that you are thankful to God for. Some days it may take longer, but just finding those 10 things will hopefully help you realise that you always have a reason to rejoice and be thankful. Another way is just to pray at the beginning of your day a simple prayer, asking God to help you be joyful and to not let how you feel be defined by how your day goes. Lastly, practice. Practice joy in your life. Practice rejoicing, intentionally praising and thanking God in the storm. Then you’ll find it easy when you reach the shore, right?

                        Philippians 4:4 – ‘’Rejoice in the LORD always. Again I will say, rejoice!’’

Thank you for reading and please leave a comment below on what you thought of today’s post. I would love to hear your feedback and also receive any questions you may have!

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Love in Christ,

Chloe xxx