Well, it's not HOT in my neck of the woods in temperature (not today anyway) but it's sure been a HOT minute since I last posted. For that I am so sorry but it seems my life has been consumed with doctor appointments, tests, and MORE tests, biopsies, surgery and so much more. One day at a time sweet Jesus is all that any of us can ask for. Wanted to pop in on this beautiful Sunday afternoon to share a little about what I've been up too. Marty and I enjoyed a weekend at the beach before I had breast cancer surgery and took advantage of the time I had in between so many doctor appointments and testing. It was sure a good little getaway. We celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary in September. WOW! Just babies! LOL! We were high school sweethearts. Started dating at age 16. Married at age 18 and started a family at age 20. We celebrated Marty's birthday in October. He says that he's feeling his age these days. LOL! He still works 4 days a week and has a long commu...
Most days we Must CHOOSE Joy simply because we can!
I enjoy reading things written by Kay Warren, wife of Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life). She has a book called, "Choose Joy--Because Happiness isn't enough".
Never has truer words been spoken. If we base our joy on being happy all the time we would not have any joy!
Kay tells a little story about a person's expression of joy being based upon their personality traits. I love how she says this...
Let's look at the personalities that Kay has mentioned.
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Tiggers: Tiggers are bouncy, flouncy, trouncy,
pouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! They bounce through life with a spring in
their step. They laugh loudly at parties (I’ve decided they do everything
loudly), they tell jokes, and they think everyone is their best friend. Even if
they can’t remember your name, you’re their best friend. Of course, joy comes
easily to them — right?
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Winnie the Poohs: These gentle folks never get
too excited about anything, but they usually have a pleasant look on their
faces. They tend to have a hard time making up their minds about anything. They
are usually happy to let someone else make the decisions. You ask them about
going to lunch, and they respond with, “Oh, you decide.”
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Rabbits: Rabbits are the task-masters of this
world. Get it done, get it done right, and get it done now! Rabbits
have a to-do list the size of Montana, and they don’t let much get in their
way. They’re usually not the people you want to talk to if you’re having a
rough day. They’re likely to tell you to “just deal with it.” Not so sure that
rabbits experience much joy. If they do, it’s usually related to the completion
of a task!
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Eeyores: This is my favorite personality type.
Eeyores are intense, serious people. They have their own personal, little rain
cloud over their heads all the time. They feel things deeply and express things
deeply. They get quite annoyed at all those stupid Tiggers who won’t stop
smiling! Joy seems pretty elusive for the Eeyores of this world.
The truth is JOY is for everyone no matter the personality!
That verse doesn’t say that joy is available for only those whose natural personality lends itself easily to feelings of joy. No, it implies that joy is available for all who are in Christ Jesus and whose lives are full of the Holy Spirit.
If we would all just remember...the JOY of the Lord is my strength...My Joy is in Christ Jesus...
TODAY, I CHOOSE JOY!
Hugs and Blessings, Cindy
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Love, love, love this post!!! I'm gonna choose joy, too!!! HOPE you have a great rest of the week and Happy Labor Day weekend!!!
ReplyDeleteI have loved reading the different personalities that you listed! Oh you know which one I am!!! But yes, we must choose joy because on most days it is a struggle to have joy. Enjoyed this post. Thanks for sharing. Connie Royals
ReplyDeleteI love this Cindy! Joy Joy Joy! I've been accused at times of being too happy! Too joyful! Can you believe it? :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping in to see my little dolls.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
Love this! I have lots of joy in my life, in fact, I gave Joy as one of my daughters' middle name...Christine
ReplyDeletesuch a cute post, cindy:) tfs!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this! I'm going to send it to my daughters and some friends!
ReplyDeleteKatherine
Never thought much about the word or the difference between being happy or having joy. I definitely choose to have joy today and every day.
ReplyDeleteAnother book to add to my list of must reads.
Thanks Cindy for always inspiring me. Today it was to choose joy.
I love visiting on Wednesday...I choose JOY too!
ReplyDeleteLove the different personalities too, what a great way to think about them...I think I'm a mixture of them all. No wonder sometimes I feel a bit mixed up! haha!
As always, thanks for encouragement!
Sharlotte
LOVE your post! I always want to choose Joy. Once you make the choice, it comes pretty easy. God is GOOD, all the time!
ReplyDeleteLove ya,
Brenda
Down Memory La La Lane
Good post, Cindy! God is the source of our peace and our joy, if we just let Him be. Have a blessed day, Beth
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this Cindy. It makes total since and as my narcissistic side always tells me "This was meant for me!". lol. The message of Joy is one I've never thought about. Now I will concentrate on choosing Joy each day instead of always wishing for happiness - because joy can be found in everything even the bad things. We're never happy when someone dies but we can find joy in the fact that their earthly life and struggle is over and they are joyfully in the presence of the Lord. What a wonderful new concept for me to use when judging or just experiencing my day.
ReplyDeleteLove you...Tracy @ Cotton Pickin Cute