Choose Joy


This is one of my favorite bible verses, yet it is probably one of the hardest to live by. And this is where we will camp out today for our devotional.

This devotional, Wife After God, has really spoken to me on different levels. But today's reading really got to me. She tells of a story of a woman who has been struggling with anxiety after having her baby. A friend who God has blessed with the gift of hospitality, reaches out to the new mom and shows God's call to us of displaying joy and sacrifice to her friend in need.

The reason this spoke to me is because I can relate to the new mom. I am the one struggling with anxiety. Before I knew what was happening to me, I let it steal precious moments and completely became consumed by it. God helps me through it and gives me strength to overcome the anxiety every day. But, the truth is I want to be like the friend who reached out to her. I want the joy to be seen on my face for doing God's work. I want to reach out to someone in need. And I want to have joy no matter the situation.

Let's be honest though. It's hard. The world teaches us it's all about us...to focus on ourselves. It shows us the newest quick fix we can have to feel better about ourselves whether it's a new diet trend or a medicine to try. But that is not what God teaches. We are not to be conformed to this world; which means we are not to give in to the ways of the world. We are to be different-to shine Jesus' light. To live the way He has commanded us to live. We are also to renew our minds. If we allow it, the world can corrupt our minds. The violence, their distorted view of sex, even the way they view love can really impact our minds and influence our ways of thinking. The way we renew our minds is by studying God's word. Everyday. Let it seep into our mind and break through the lies of Satan. It is the answer to every problem you have and has the comfort you need. It is God's way of communicating with us. I view it as my most precious book.

I have been praying to have joy in every situation. Sometimes I get bogged down thinking about the clothes I have to wash, fold, and put away. Or the dishes in the sink that need to be washed. It's time to change the baby again. And the list goes on and on. But we can have joy in every situation if we allow God to shine through us.

So how can we experience pure joy?
  1. We can do for others as Christ did for us.
  2. We can love others like Christ loves us.
  3. We can put others before ourselves
  4. We can follow God's commands
  5. We can view what God called us to do as our job and seek joy in it
Today's challenge: Find a way you can show your husband how much he means to you.

Questions to Ponder:

1) What are some ways you can view your current situation with joy?

2) What are some ways you can view your husband with joy?

Until next time, have a great day!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Ways to Have True Intimacy with Your Spouse

Image
Recently, I have had this want to grow closer to God. I don't want to just be knowledgeable about the bible, (although inspired by my sister, I am on a quest to read the bible from cover to cover. As we all know, I am an avid reader and after talking to her about it, with all of the books we read...why not just read and study the bible from Genesis to Revelation? I realize that this will take a long time, but I am up for the challenge!) I want to really know God and connect with Him on an intimate level. I want my prayer life to be more than just praying in the morning and asking Him for the things of the day. Well to help me on my journey, I am three videos into this wonderful series from RightNow Media: It was exactly what I was looking for...how to have an intimate relationship with God when you have a busy life. Sometimes we get so sucked into our routines and busy schedules that we forget that we just need to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him and connect. Ma...
Read more

Not another New Year's Resolution post...

Image
It's the first week of January and tons of articles, blogs, and tips are being released on organization, goal setting, losing weight, etc. I have to admit...I am a goal setter. For the past several years, I have spent time before Jan 1st to write down goals I want to achieve for the year. I am an annoyingly organized person, but I love the feeling of accomplishment. So what does this have to do with marriage or how does it help? Well, I know that K thrives on organization and structure as much as I do. Keeping our home life organized and structured helps our relationship succeed. I know how much K appreciates a clean house, cooked meals, etc so I strive to meet that. I make to do lists and work really hard to cross everything off. So that brings me back to goal setting. I set goals for myself so I can become an even better wife and person.  Being able to not only set the goals for yourself but actually achieve them, makes you feel like you have purpose and it makes you feel goo...
Read more

What Will You Choose?

Image
After reading a post by  Sheila Wray Gregoire  about daddy issues and  a conversation I had this morning...this post sparked in my head and I prayed about it. My  first post explained  why I wanted to do this blog, but it went deeper than that and now I feel it's a good time to elaborate on it. Marriage wasn't an easy topic for me. My parents divorced when I was 2 and both remarried. I also saw divorce in other areas of the family and wondered if it was going to be possible for me to have a happy marriage. I even went through a brief period before K and I got married where I was scared to get married. I didn't want to fall into another failed marriage listed in my family. I wondered if I could really do this??  I had one serious boyfriend before K and I thought I was in love with him. But, I knew in my heart he wasn't the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. After we broke up, I had in my mind what kind of man I wanted to date. God blesse...
Read more