Joy Killers

Joy: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son's success.

There are many things that can, and will, rob us of our peace and kill our joy, but worry, stress and fear seem to be present often when joy isn't. Let's take a deeper look:

• Worry: Anxiety about "something" that will or will not occur. The irony is that the "something" usually doesn't even happen. Worry is wasted energy we never get back.
•  Stress: Intense strain over a situation we cannot change or control. You have to release it all (the strain) or it will increase your stress. Most of the time it is better that somethings are out of our control. Think about it...how many times do we screw things up anyway, only to say afterward that we should have handled it differently... hence the phrase; "hindsight is always 20/20." Change the way you think about the situation that is producing stress; that is the one thing you can control. Also, minimize the amount of time and the number of people you communicate with concerning the issue that is causing the stress. Talking too much about your situation creates additional stress and actually causes your body to react in the same manner it did when the problem originally arose. Remember, things are never as good as they seem or as bad as they seem. Proper perspective eliminates stress.
• Fear: Dreadful uneasiness over the presence of evil, danger and pain. Like Winston Churchill once said; "All we have to fear is fear itself." Fear paralyzes, and in most cases, it is counterproductive. But if something in your life is truly evil, dangerous or causing pain remove yourself from the situation...then, and only then, will your fear subside. 

Always remember, God is at work, is in control and knows what is happening in our lives, and He will work everything out to His glory. He always has and He always will. 

Finally, God will not invite Himself in. The greatest gift God has given us, other than eternal salvation via the cross, is the ability to make our own decisions...that awesome gift is called "free will". Free will is an awesome gift with awesome responsibilities. Once we make our decision for Him we release God's power in our lives, and then we can stand on His promise that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." (Romans 8:28). He didn't say it would workout the way I wanted, but that it would "work together for the good"...He knows what is best for me...I don't.

Trust God and increase your joy.

sbb  14.7.10  (Overjoyed . Stevie Wonder) .  473

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