Joy is something that’s hard to come by. So often lately I’m surrounded by people that don’t have it. It’s like this thing that people don’t understand, or even know what it is, to be happy. To just be happy. Not because of anything, but just because. My cashier at the grocery store, that’s had a long day and is just ready to go home, that won’t even look me in the eye when I try to talk to her, because I’m just another customer. Or that person I pass on the street that I smile and say to hello to, that doesn’t respond and keeps walking, because, I guess the world inside their head is better than the one we’re in.
There are times though, very rarely, where I meet people who have it, this joy, this happiness. It’s not really something you can explain, but it’s a feeling. I can always tell when I first meet someone if they have it. They’re lighter, they’re attentive, they smile, and they flow with life. They’re the people that are actually present when they’re talking with you, because they’ve found that accepting joy makes it easier to live in this world, and they’re not trying to fight it anymore. It’s like we’re a bunch of fish, and the ones that are happy are actually following the current, accepting life as it comes. And the ones that are not, tend to have a lot more pressure weighing down on them.
I get so frustrated with people that don’t receive joy in their life. They’re the ones who find the bad in everything. 100 things went right today, but, I spilled my coffee, so my day was awful. They focus on the negatives and don’t embrace the positives. I just want to tell them about it. To tell them what joy is, and what it’s like to be happy, to ride the current. But it’s hard to tell people who are just so happy being miserable.
One of the bumper stickers on my car says “happiness is a journey, not a destination.” I think too many people are waiting to arrive at happiness. It’s like getting on a ride, and expecting to find happiness at the end… when the best part is when you’re really in the middle of it, screaming, and laughing, and happy. And it doesn’t have to be perfect for you to be happy. In fact, sometimes even when it is “perfect,” people still aren’t happy.
Everyone has trials and tribulations. I don’t want to hear the, “well her life is better than mine, or she doesn’t have it as hard as I do.” EVERYONE STRUGGLES. It’s just how you handle those struggles that makes the difference. You can let it define you, or you can let it shape you.
Jesus talks so much about joy. He says: ‘A joyful heart is good medicine’ -Proverbs 17:22. What better medicine for trouble than a joyful heart. I think believing in Jesus helps. I know it does. It gives you joy. It gives you something to believe in, something to hold onto, and some things to let go of. Since I’ve chosen to follow the Lord, I’ve been able to let go of a lot of things that robbed me of joy. I’ve learned through my faith that this life is so short, and these little trials are so insignificant to what eternity looks like in heaven.
I am so excited to choose joy every single day, all 11 countries, all 11 months, and to share it with every path I cross. I hope to be one of those people that has a really hard day, where I forget a meeting, and don’t have time for lunch, and has her car break down… and is still able to say, in the midst of it all, “God is good,” and really mean it. And I hope you’re able to be one of those people too. One of the rare, hard to come by people that chooses joy, chooses happiness.
