I have often struggled to find joy; it seemed to be elusive and hard to find no matter what happened in my life, good or bad. Recently, I have discovered a powerful revelation that is slowly transforming my life and bringing me increasing peace and fulfillment. It’s the realization that joy is a fruit of the spirit and not something I can create on my own. The amount of joy I willingly choose to allow and experience daily directly impacts my overall sense of peace and contentment. When I choose to embrace joy and cultivate a joyful mindset, I find that with God, I can navigate even the most challenging times with solace and strength, all through the power of the Holy Spirit in me.

As I have become aware of my inability to create joy, I must be willing to surrender completely to find that joy is not a fleeting emotion, but a profound state of being that can permeate every aspect of my life. I have realized that it is not limited to special occasions or my circumstances, but instead, it is a state of being that I can experience every day through my connection with God. It is something that co-exists with other emotions; so I can be sad or any other emotion and joyful at the same time, which helps me to regulate my emotions. With God, I find that joy is something that flows naturally out of my appropriately placed hope in Him. It is the outflow of my faith and trust in Him; so when I am struggling to find joy, I can usually look at my spiritual health and thought life as the culprits.

An inward look at myself through prayer usually brings me awareness from God as I ask Him to search me and open the eyes of my heart. I approach God with a willing spirit to let it all go and ready to do my part for God’s joy to flow in and through me with a few different action steps. As He reveals things to me, I notice all of the uncontrollable things running through my head and make the choice to write them down. I get them out of my head and put it in my let go and let God box to put them in His hands. If I mentally pick any of them back up, I make the conscious choice to put them back in and ask God to take them from me. I focus on living in the present, knowing that stewing about the past or worrying about the future only steals the joy of today. When I start to go there, I gently bring my mind back to the now. I ask God to help shape my perspective by choosing to see the positive side. For example, instead of being upset because it is raining, I can be grateful for my flowers being watered. I discipline myself to notice and write down some things I have to be grateful for every single day and I find myself at more peace. This peace helps to cultivate my joy which allows me to see the beauty in the simplest things of the everyday: finding joy in the sunrise, the laughter of children, the beauty of a flower or the kindness of a stranger. Through this process of making small little choices everyday, I find sometimes I may even forget to be mad at someone or feel sorry for myself and joy flows a little more with each baby step I take.

Through this joy, I can find a renewed sense of self and a deep connection with my Savior and the world around me. It is in moments of joy and gratitude that I am reminded of the boundless love and grace that surrounds me, guiding me through life’s ups and downs which are an inevitable part of life. Joy doesn’t remove difficulties, but it is the fuel that gives me the strength to walk through even the most difficult of circumstances at peace. The more I choose to take small steps to cultivate joy, the more I find it, even amidst the storms of life. God’s joy grows best in me when I do my part taking small action steps and I place my unwavering trust in God’s goodness and provision. 

Practice for Today

Today I will make simple small choices, moment by moment to willingly open myself to be a vessel for God’s joy to flow in and through me. I will choose to surrender and open my mind to what He has for me and all of His goodness He wants me to see. I know that each step I take brings me closer to the fullness of joy in Him, no matter what is going on around me. I will be grateful that the joy of the Lord is my strength!

Psalm 16:11    You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

John 15:11    These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.