I sure hope that your May has kicked off to a good start. The heat is settling in quick around our parts. We've kicked off May with watching our softball girls win the District. Next week we start another round of ball. It's so much fun to watch these girls and especially our girl, Mallory. She plays centerfield. We were so proud of both teams that played against each other. They all, hand in hand gathered together as one of our girls prayed for the game and also for one of our young men that was in a horrific car accident and fighting. His name is Kaden if you can think to lift him up to our Lord. I had the opportunity recently to speak to a group of women at a ladies luncheon event at a local church. Oh we had so much fun. I wished I had gotten pictures of the beautiful decorations. We had a TEA PARTY and we each kept the cup that we drank out of it. Isn't she just lovely? Easter has come and gone but we sure have a great time with family. We gather each...
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.
·
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?
·
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.”
·
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!
·
·
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
·
·
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