For years I've heard the phrase,
"choose joy"
I was totally cool with it because it sounded Christian-y and stuff.
I was convinced that if I said it enough times maybe I'd sound like a good Christian or something.
I believe that phrase has lost meaning, at least to me.
Sometimes I think we just say it because we've heard it so many times.
No? Just me? That's cool.
That phrase became super empty and meaningless when I had to choose it.
saying it is fine, but actually doing it was very unclear to me.
nobody told me how to choose joy… they just said to do it.
I love the idea of choice.
I always have.
I love that from the beginning Dad was a Dad of choice.
He never demands our love, but He's relentless at the same time.
That's what makes loving Him so good.
He placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden where He lived and said:
"You can eat from any tree in the garden,
except from the Tree-of-knowledge-of-good-and-evil.
Don't eat from it.
The moment you eat from that tree, you're dead."
Genesis 2 (MSG)
Why would He put it there if there wasn't a choice?
You can choose me or death.
You can choose.
You.
Not your friend.
Not your neighbor.
Not your mom.
Not your dad.
Not your pastor.
You.
He empowers you and me to choose.
Last month I stepped onto Laos soil with a straight-up bad attitude.
I was beginning to try to grieve the things I let go of with pure intentions to grieve properly.
I got lost.
"choose joy."
I heard that phrase quite a bit during that time period…
aaand that phrase wasn't cool anymore.
It was empty. Meaningless.
So that brings me to my first and only point:
What does it mean to choose joy?
When you're choosing joy, you're choosing Dad.
That's it.
In cloudy situations, you're not choosing an empty phrase.
It has meaning and purpose because God is meaning and purpose.
You're choosing the creator over the created situation.
You're choosing love; not to love, but to be loved.
That doesn't mean to disregard any feelings; it will still suck and hurt.
It just puts you and me in a place where we are able to look into God's hand and see that our enormous problem is actually a speck in comparison to His ultimate divine purpose for us.
An attitude change is simple and beautiful;
close your eyes, take a deep breath, and say a one-word breath prayer.
"Jesus."
Just like that,
you've chosen Joy.
He is Joy.
He is Joy.
He is Joy.
So, choose Dad or you will get clouded by emotion.
That's just the ugly truth.
You will get caught up in yourself and feel so far gone you can't seem to get out of that pitch black tunnel you created.
You won't see any light because the Light isn't being welcomed into that area of your life.
Choose Dad, it will be.
When life gets you down…
get the helmet of salvation
The sword of the Spirit.
The belt of truth.
The breast plate of righteousness.
The shield of faith,
and breathe…
But, you get to choose.
You.
Will you take up your armor and choose Joy today?
