What does the word joy mean to you? Is is a noun or a verb? Maybe it's both? I will tell you, it's both. Though, when you think of the word joy, what comes to mind? Do you think joy means to simply be happy all the time? Why do you think joy is a fruit of the Spirit but happiness isn't? These are questions to think about really. I looked it up in the dictionary just for the sake of it, but I would prefer to say what God thinks about it. He wrote about joy long before Webster did. (For all who wonder who that is, just a name of a English dictionary.)
Look at the picture here. There is a reason we sing Joy to the World. Christmas we celebrate the Savior's birth, but I hope we do more than celebrate. I hope we can say we rejoice in His birth, death and resurrection daily. Jesus did come down from His heavenly throne for us. Because of His amazing love, we can live a life with Him, and have the reassurance of eternal life if we have chosen to accept Him into our lives, and confess our sins to Him. He is the answer to everything we need, and He is the reason why we have joy. Even when times are hard, we can still choose joy and we should. Choosing joy doesn't mean that you slap a smile on your face 24/7 and are happy all the time. When trials come, it's not wrong to have grief and pain because of it. However, when you have that true joy in your heart that only Jesus can give, and focus on that, and focus on the hope, and reassurance that comes from Him, a strong sense of peace comes over us. The peace of knowing that no matter what, Christ will walk us through.
There's an old saying in life, that you either look at the glass half full, or you look at it half empty. To be honest I was never really a fan of hearing that. Usually I needed to though. I want to give you another challenge though. Whether you are struggling with some sort of hardship now, or the next time you do, turn those doubts, fears, sadness, loneliness, worry, grief, bitterness, and whatever other down emotion you may be having, into prayer and give all your concerns to God. Let Him fill you with the joy only He can give. Let Him comfort you in a way that only He can. God loves you. When you are in the storms in life, God isn't far away on the shore, He's right there in the boat with you. He knows your pain even better than you do. Let Him carry you and walk besides you.
This Christmas, focus on the true meaning. Never lose focus on why we celebrate this joyous season. I know that so often the season can be hard for many of you because of loss and heartaches in your life. I struggle with it myself. When we fix our eyes on Jesus though, He does give us the strength we need to carry on.
So no matter what, choose joy. There is always something to be joyful about. The greatest Gift of all, loves you. He loves you more than you can possibly imagine. He collects every tear in a bottle. For God to hold onto every tear, really means something. He really wants to be your comfort. Your strength. Your absolute everything. He's your Heavenly Father. He knows the number of hairs on your head, and not a one of them falls off without His knowing. Let Him surround you. He truly is the answer. There is not one materialistic thing in this world that can satisfy your needs. Even if you have everything you could possibly want, you will never have the true joy in your heart. Only Jesus Christ can fill that void in your heart. Once you focus on Him, your life will never be the same.
