There are times in your life where you are presented with difficult circumstances and the decision of how to react to those circumstances. For me, when it comes to attitude, there are usually two options. The first is to give into whichever emotion is dominant at the time: grief, anger, bitterness, sorrow, pity, etc. Sometimes it is a combination of these. My second option, however, is to take hold of the supernatural ability given only through the grace of God, and to choose joy.
Easier said than done, right?
I was recently presented with the opportunity to choose joy during T Squad’s month 4 debrief in Kathmandu, Nepal. We all knew what was coming….the dreaded team changes. Just as you’ve reached a level of comfort and ease with your team and begun to consider them as family, your world gets rocked. In the weeks leading up to debrief I spent a lot of time praying and declaring my trust in God’s will for my team. That level of spiritual loftiness was quickly knocked down when I found out just who had been removed from my team and just who had been chosen to replace them.
I wish I could say that I looked at this difficult circumstance, had a moment of grieving the loss, and then praised God for this new stage of life, but my thought process went a little more like this: “Are you kidding me?!?! This is so unfair!! God you took away my closest friends and then didn’t even care who took their place. There is no way I will never be happy with this new team set up! I genuinely hate this. And, you know what? I’m going to have a bad attitude about it! If I’m going to be miserable, then so is everyone else on my new team!” Ugly, but the truth.
But even as I was screaming all of this out to God, the Holy Spirit was moving in my heart. Through tears and surges of anger and self pity, He gently reminded me of His love, His goodness, His providence, and His faithfulness. I felt God speak into my heart, “You can set the tone for this new team dynamic. It can be joyful and promising or sorrowful and a struggle.” Twenty-five minutes of prayer, debating, and Bible reading later, I emerged from my hotel room. Even though tears were still shining in the corners of my eyes, a small smile was on my face. I had chosen joy. My team wasn’t any different. I was still sad over who was lost and still apprehensive over the newbies, but because I chose joy, God was already spreading His peace through my heart.
And you know what happened? With each new team member I approached, they spoke gracious words of happiness and comfort. And when we gathered for our first team meal, joy and laughter dominated the table. We spent time that first day establishing team goals and talking about ways we could encourage each other and grow together spiritually. We went on an adventure to a monkey temple and made memories together. God was already blessing us. My Father’s faithfulness was abundantly evident! It was as if He was saying, “Thank you for choosing joy- here are immediate blessings.”
Choosing joy does not mean that your circumstances have changed, but only that you have chosen a Christ-like attitude towards the situation. It’s a way of looking at things and saying, “Yeah this sucks, BUT I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and longs to teach me lessons, grow me spiritually, and bless me. These circumstances will not defeat me; instead they will be used to strengthen my relationship with God. I can be joyful even in this because of my Father’s love.”
Team Momentum
Kara, Logan G, Rene, Libby, Ben, Logan N, Leigh Ann
****Photo cred Rene Mycorn www.renemycorn.theworldrace.org ****
