Always be full of joy in the LORD. I say it again – rejoice! (NLT)
How easy do you find it to be full of joy on a regular basis? Me too. It is not always easy. Things may be going well, we have a good start to the day, then we spill our coffee or tea. ‘Not a problem, I’ll just clean that up.’ And then there’s not a cloth around or you are out of paper towels. You manage to get that sorted, then your car tire is low, so you have to stop by the gas station to put air in it. The machine only takes quarters, and you’ve only got bills. Sigh. We’ve all had those sorts of days.
The key here is that we should “always be full of joy in the Lord” not in worldly things. If we keep God at the centre of our lives, then yes, these annoying things will still happen but they won’t be quite so difficult. We won’t feel quite as disheartened or frustrated – at least not for quite so long. It becomes easier to stop, pause, breathe, and re-centre.
Usually what causes these minor mishaps to multiply is our mindset. If one negative thing happens, we’re able to ride that negative wave of ‘oh great, what next?' until we’re sucked down a whirlpool of negativity that feels like it will never end. Well, what if we stop that cycle?
What if when we spill our coffee, we take that moment to go 'oh, well that sucks.’ Then stop the rambling train of negativity right there. Pause. Take a breath while we think ‘oh well, that happens.’ Mindfully clean it up (even if we’re out of paper towels – write that on the list so we don’t forget, grab a tea towel that will now be coffee stained… 'oh yeah! We need some stain remover.’ Add that to the shopping list as well so that’s another thing off our mind.) Now, we’ve cleaned up a mess and started our shopping list for the week, so we don’t have to remember it later. The situation is the same, but the difference is how we frame our mindset.
… the rest of the entry is available in 30 Days of Joy: A Devotional available on Amazon (eBook) or through my website.
