Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Joy ~

 
 
 
 these past few weeks
a three letter word has continued
to appear

 
 my eyes are seeing
my ears are hearing
my thoughts are lingering
 & even my emotions
are being drawn to
this word
 
Joy
 
Am I a Woman of Joy?
I've worn the T-shirt that read
Women of Joy
 am I really?
I'd rather not be labeled something,
that I'm not!

my latest devotional book
which appeared "right before my eyes"
at the book store, has the title
Choosing Joy by Angela Thomas

Do I choose joy?
Joy just doesn't happen!
If your "living life", is kinda
like mine, it doesn't fall in your lap.

Trials & Tribulations
you are either in one,
coming out of one,
or fixing to go into one.

Joy is a Pursuit - you have to
pursue joy in the midst of "living this life".


K-Love tweeted a statistic recently,
40% of your happiness comes from
intentional behavior:
things you can do on a regular basis.
Be intentional about seeking God. (and Joy)

We must seek Joy
 because happiness is not enough.
  Happiness is short-lived,
and brought to us from things & people.
 We should all know by now,
"things" will never be enough
and people will disappoint us or
 we may possibly be left to finish
the journey without them.


Joy -  a source of Happiness
Webster's definition

Joy has much more depth than Happiness
it is the source of happiness

My Bible Study was directed to
Joel this past week
Joel was giving the Israelite people
a warning about complacency & being self-centered.
They had turned from God to things (idols) and were
seeking satisfaction & happiness.
Joel 1:12 describes the fruit trees being dried up
and then Joel adds, oh and by the way
surely your Joy has withered too!

Who have we allowed to steal our Joy?
What has robbed us of our Joy?
(do we allow circumstances to dry up our Joy?)
When did our Joy leave?
Where did our Joy exit?

Questions that we can ask ourselves
and then re-visit the place we
allowed Joy to exit.
Sometimes the exit is painful
to return to, but healing comes
when we face it head on
and let the Lord get us back
on the road to this
Journey He has placed us here to travel.


Are we "thriving or surviving"?

My lips will shout for Joy
when I sing praise to You,
because You have redeemed me.
  Psalm 71:23

Lord, I pray for so many things,
but, I fail to ask you for Joy.
Give me new eyes to see
the things you place in my path,
that will bring the deepest joy my soul desires.

I pray you seek
Joy in the Journey~
Karen
 
 

4 comments:

scarborough2 said...

Sweet thoughts yet painful if we do not choose~JOY! ...for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

Ruth Hiebert said...

I started out really liking the picture,but the words drew me like a magnet.Joy can be present even when the tears flow freely. I hVE TO SAY THAT EVEN WHEN THE ONE I LOVE MOST ON EARTH WAS TAKEN FROM ME,JOY WAS STILL IN MY HEART.Guess I hit the wrong key,but I don't want to go back and re-type.Yes,joy lives in my heart.

Pamela Gordon said...

I needed this message today. Thank you for sharing it. We (I) get so caught up in life and trying to be happy but real joy comes from God and we do have to seek it. He is the JOY GIVER. Blessings, Pamela

Maryann said...

When I think of joy I think of something deep, something that is not dependent on outward circumstances and I agree I do think it is a choice
A good word for me today