I heard a sermon this past Sunday regarding joy and was reminded of a multitude of strong truths. Then, while browsing the web and catching up on authors I follow, I stumbled across a blog post presenting a challenge titled, 'The Joy Dare', which can be found here. Though I came across this challenge a bit late in the year to follow the instructions exactly, consisting of counting three blessings every day for a month during the entire year of 2013, the point still hung heavy on my heart to strive to seek joy in every day, and even more so because it is a topic the Lord has brought up in my life consistently through sermons, through the words of dear friends of mine, through daily experiences (such as the discovery of this new blog and its contents!) and through the sweet whispering words of the Holy Spirit above all.
Because of all of this, I've decided to partake in my own sort of joy dare, made up of five simple principles:
- Seek a joyful 'God-sighting' each day and journal about it
- Seek to create a joyful experience through service each day based on the words of John 15
- Let joy, as a function of gratitude, affect my daily perspective to live in the Lord's joy
- Form thankful habits to God in order to form joyful habits in life
- Pray daily for open eyes and ears to see that the whole earth is full of His glory
I've realized in the past I often tend to sit back and wait for the Lord to shower His blessings, so that I become complacent in receiving joy. I've also seen joy-in people and in circumstances-and I appreciate it, but then I let it stop there. I've recently been studying the book of James, which tells us to rejoice in trials, for the testing of our faith produces perseverance and wisdom. We are told to choose joy, even when our situations tell us otherwise. Even when we may not be enduring tribulation, we may not be overflowing with joy, either. Oftentimes it seems many of us become complacent or complainatory-never satisfied with what we have or where we are-when really we have every reason to celebrate. Something I heard this past Sunday in church was this: as Christians, we should be constantly representing joy as image-bearers of Jesus Christ, who came to us as the ultimate joy-bringer. Scripture tells us that the whole earth is full of His glory, and I do not want to go a single day missing it.
Some of my favorite joyful moments
