I Have the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart....

Sitting in the church yesterday, I was struck by a sense of joy. I was enjoying the sermon, the atmosphere, the worship. In the recognition of the feeling of joy, I realized that I do not always have this feeling. Yes, I am very content with my life, I don't think I would change a single detail. But for some reason, I am not full of joy all the time. As I started to consider why this was, the Lord gently shared with me, "It's because you are not choosing to be filled with joy." Oh, okay Lord, I like when you make it nice and simple ;-) I need to choose joy in all situations. Sometimes it is easy for me to think about the circumstances I am in and wallow or pity myself. If I've had a hard day with the kids, I may think I am justified in being snippy or in thinking that I deserve an easier life, but I am not. I need to focus on the blessings in my life. I am so blessed to be a stay-at-home-mom (for the most part). My husband is a great husband to me and dad to my kids. My family and friends are loving and supportive. I belong to the coolest church on the planet. But even if none of these things were true, Jesus Christ, son of God, Savior of the world, came to this earth to die for me. Me! And not to mention that God and I are BFF's. These things alone are enough to bring me everlasting and complete joy! So, my goal for today is to find joy in all circumstances and CHOOSE joy over any other feeling. Justification and "I deserve..." are going to be stumbling blocks in the way of your joy. The devil is always standing by trying to steal your joy, don't let him! Put your focus on the Lord and what He has done for you. Show your joy to the world as a light that cannot be extinguished. My two verses for today are Philippians 4:4-"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice!" and 1 Peter 1:8-"You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him, you trust Him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy." I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart...