Fighting the Joy Stealers
WE WERE MADE FOR JOY - JOIN ME IN ACTIVELY CHOOSING JOY AND FIGHTING FOR IT!!!!!
JOY!!!! I deeply love this word. For me, it’s what God wants our ‘happy’ to be as we live out the fullness of the life He has planned for us. For me, it explodes out of me when I meet a little girl and remind her that she is beautiful, valuable and a princess inside and out. It is there when I am reunited with my family after being away from them for months and I give them a HUGE hug. It’s there when I dance and sing and when I walk along the ocean and witness God’s exquisite creation. It pours out of me when I have a quality heart conversation with one of my soul sisters. It’s there when I eat a delicious dessert, or a mango and when I watch a really good romantic comedy. It’s created in me as I spend time with my loving Heavenly Father and pursue relationship with him with my whole heart and it’s also in all that is pink and sparkles! What is ‘joy’ for you??
We were made for joy, just like Snow White feels on an exquisite, sunshine filled day! :D Picture by @dinglehopper_blue
I listened to a great Ted Talk on joy recently (Where joy hides and how to find it by Ingrid Fetell Lee, you should check it out)! Lee speaks about joy being described as the intense feeling of happiness that makes you want to jump up and down, how cool is that?! People describe joy in things like bubbles, sparkles, cupcakes, balloons and the list is endless. She goes on to speak about the importance of surrounding ourselves with the things that bring us joy and to notice moments of joy in our everyday lives. Bright colours also transform moods and research shows the world would be a better place if buildings were more colourful and thus, joy-filled. We need to get back to the child-like wonder we lose as adults. Experiencing and sharing joy can and does transform the world - it is a feeling that we all share, a universal language! Now it makes more sense to me about why I surround myself with so much colour and sparkles and pictures of my family etc and why I dress the way that I do – I choose joy, each and every day and in your own unique and precious way, you can too!
Take some time to really think about the things that bring you joy. This is extremely important for doing life well and for self care. There are challenges and experiences in life that will occur to steal your joy. It is so important to be prepared and to understand how to protect and to choose your joy.
The question now is, what can steal joy? There are many things that can take away from the fullness of life God has gifted each one of us with. For example, I see in culture some unhelpful patterns that can sometimes define joy as showing off, standing out or disrupting the status quo. The enemy works to rob us from what is rightfully ours. Jesus said…
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10
A wonderful thing to do is to look at your life and map out the pockets of joy that occur from day to day. These pockets can be small things like a sunset or an ice cream or big things like an achievement, a soul discussion with a best friend or doing something creative that you love. It is so important to understand what brings you joy and to cultivate it in your life. If there aren’t many pockets for you, I would encourage you to examine what is causing a joy block in your life and to start removing the lies or ‘joy stealers’ that are interrupting the life God has planned for you.
So, here are some ideas of the things that could steal your joy. The enemy likes to tell us lies, I’m sure you’ve heard some of them…
“You’re not pretty enough.”
“You’re not smart enough.”
“You can’t do it.”
“You’re not good enough.”
“You’re alone.”
“You are unworthy of love.”
“You don’t belong.”
“All good things come to an end.”
“You don’t deserve to be happy.”
“You can’t and don’t know how to feel joy.”
And the list goes on…
Other things can steal your joy too. Have you ever had someone say something negative about what brings you joy? It can happen often and mainly highlights an insecurity in the other person who may be yearning for the same access to joy that you have. Bad weather, something going wrong, missing out on an opportunity, relationship breakdowns, exhaustion and many other things can steal joy. The good news is, we don’t have to let these things win.
If you are struggling with mental illness, you are not alone and please reach out and ask for help! If you are in a position to choose joy, PLEASE DO!!
The Bible on JOY:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
James 1:2-3
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
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.
Romans 15:13
The above bible verses give a small snapshot of various reasons as to why we are called to joy, by our creator God. We are called to joy even in challenge as challenge is what grows and refines us in to the people God created us to be. We are reminded that we can be joyful because of God’s love for us and there is nothing we can do to be separated from His love! We are also called to be filled with joy, and can be by God in order to pour it out to the people that surround us. Joy can be chosen in each circumstance even when we face life challenges. Joy is an active choice that we can make, will you make this choice with me and thus transform your world?! AMEN!!!
Love Mahalia xxx :)
I'm Mahalia by the way. I love all things pink and sparkly, as well as Disney, princesses, Jesus, fashion, summer fruit, tea, my family, my friends, being inspired, dreaming BIG and living and loving so LOUD and LARGE! Will you join me?