How To Choose Joy Every Day!
Let me let help you today …sis! I am often asked, “how do you choose joy everyday?” The truth is that choosing joy each and every day has nothing to do with how you feel about your present circumstance (or what’s going on in your live at all), it’s really about what you do INSPITE of those feelings and circumstances.
On the blog today, let’s talk about the truth of choosing joy and how you can choose each and every day while truly impacting your quality of life. As a woman of faith choosing JOY everyday is something that we all should do. Despite the fact that it can be challenging because of the world that we live in. Yes, I know that staying positive can be hard because of everything going on around us. I mean seriously people are literally losing their lives, jobs, marriages and even livelihood daily. Let’s be honest this could be down right depressing.
We has woman of God, have a duty to be intentional about our joy. Even our actions must be intentional because we never truly know how our thoughts and actions could affect those around us. In the same way, that kindness is infectious, joy is also infectious. Think about it. Have you ever been around someone that radiated so much joy you couldn’t help but feel joyful along with them? That’s how joy works. That’s how Jesus’ love shines through us and into the life of other people.
Just as you choose what outfits you wear each day of the week, in the same way, I challenge you to choose joy for the day.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT CHOOSING JOY?
The bible actually has a lot to say about joy and the following bible verses give us a true idea of God’s view on joy and how we can choose joy on a daily basis as woman of faith.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer, and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. “Hebrews 12 verse 2”
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. “Romans 15 verse 13”
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. “John 15 verses 10–12”
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord for he comes to judge the earth. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. “1 Chronicles 16 verses 32–34”
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. “Romans 12 verse 12”
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! “Philippians 4 verse 4”
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, “Galatians 5 verse 22”
The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. “Psalm 118 verse 24”
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” “Nehemiah 8 verse 10”
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. “Psalm 5 verse 11”
WHAT IS JOY?
Joy is a gift from God. Just as our salvation cannot be bought or earned, joy cannot be bought or earned either Joy is the visible fruit that comes from a relationship that is pleasing to God; it is not something we can create by our own efforts.
The joy that we experience on the inside isn’t just an emotion or feeling. It’s a privileged state of being that we experience the more that we worship and dwell in the presence of the Lord.
Sometimes along this journey we call life we struggle and become so emotionally and physically tired that before we know it our joy is gone. If feels as if our peace and contentment have been lost and you may even question if you will get it back. I am here to tell you that it will, but you will have to make a choice.
As for me I will always choose joy over happiness. Happiness is a result of your surroundings. Maybe you got a promotion or a proposal. Joy, however, is an intentional choice. It is an attitude of the heart and spirit that comes from us consciously making the effort to dwell in the presence of the Lord and worship Him as He desires to be worshipped.
Here’s my challenge to you… take a look in your bible, look through your playlist, and decide that each and every morning that you will choose JOY!
Because not only would I choose joy today, but I would keep on choosing joy tomorrow, the next day, and every day after that.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE JOY IN YOUR LIFE?
1 CHOOSE JOY BY STARTING WITH QUIET TIME IN GOD’S PRESENCE
I’ve always been taught that if you want your day to go well, then you need to start your day well. The best way that I can think of for you to start your day well is to start with quiet time in God’s presence.
True joy, lasting joy comes from being in the presence of the Lord and if you want to invite God into your day so that He is always with you, then you need to make time to be in His presence at the very beginning of the day.
Social media and smartphones are very popular, and oftentimes we find ourselves caught up in checking for Facebook updates or liking the latest picture on Instagram. We even take our phones to bed with us.
In the mornings, instead of immediately checking your phone, put the phone down and spend some quiet time with God. Thank Him for a brand new day. Give thanks for all the things He has done and is still doing in your life. Allow that quiet time with God to transform your heart and give you the joy you need to face the day.
2 CREATE JOY THROUGH A MORNING DEVOTIONAL ROUTINE
The best thing I ever did was to create a morning devotional routine. I have read many blog posts that tell you to start your day with journaling or exercise and that by doing these things you will experience joy and happiness.
I believe that having a routine, where you spend time reading your bible, praying, and doing your devotional will give you even greater joy and happiness.
It can be so easy for us to get caught up in the morning rush of getting ready, taking a shower, cooking breakfast, or the plethora of things that can come our way. But when we take 15 or 20 minutes to spend some time with God, soaking in what He has to say to us each day, we are better able to face what life might throw at us.
Psalm 5 verse 3 tells us that in the morning God hears our voice, we make our requests, and then wait in expectation for Him to come through for us. The devotional you read that day could have the very answers you’ve been waiting on God to receive.
3 CHOOSE JOY BY FOCUSING ON THE GOOD
As we go throughout our day, we will experience both good and bad things. It is bound to happen as part of our lives here on this imperfect, flawed earth. Joy can come from us choosing to highlight or focus on the good things that have happened, instead of the bad experiences we have had.
One day I was headed to a shoot, wearing my blue dress and new Vince Camuto wedge sandals. I looked great and felt great. However, as I was walking from the car to the location, one of the straps on my new wedges broke. Now I had to find a way to conceal the broke strap on the shoe and get the pictures done.
I was upset, to say the least.
At the end of the day, my mother called and asked me how my day had been. I told her it was great. During our conversation, I highlighted the pictures we were able to capture, the beauty of the location and the adorable drawing Kourtney had drawn for me.
Could I have broken down and told her about the trip and my broken wedge? Sure! But at the end of the day, deciding how I felt was a choice and I chose to be joyful in spite of the circumstances because that one event was not enough to ruin my day.
4 THINK OF WAYS TO FILL YOUR DAY WITH JOY
As I’ve said before, being joyful is about choosing joy above all other emotions you might be experiencing. Being intentional about your joy means thinking of ways to fill your day with joy. Does listening to worship music bring you joy?
Think about creating a playlist with your favorite worship songs that you can play throughout the day. How about cleaning? Does a clean-living space bring you joy? Think about possibly carving out time in your day to do the things that make you happy; that bring a smile to your face.
5 CHOOSE JOY BY LEANING ON THE LORD’S STRENGTH
The bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, that it is in our weakness that God is strongest. It might be a bit weird to think of ourselves as weak, helpless humans, but in the grand scheme of things we are. Being human means that we are flawed and imperfect; oftentimes getting swept away in our emotions. But leaning on the Lord’s strength is one of the most powerful ways to choose joy every day.
There have been so many times when I’ve allowed my feelings and emotions to God my better judgement. It’s in these times when I’m feeling lost in my fears and defeat, that I lean on God to get me through it and bring back the joy I lost. Lean on the Lord when you’re depressed, ask Him for help and watch how He restores the joy you once lost.
6 CHOOSE JOY EVERY DAY THROUGH PRAYER
When everything is going wrong, it can be very hard to be happy. It can be difficult to see the good in everything. That’s when we need to pray. Prayer is powerful. Prayer can move mountains. And it’s in this time of prayer, of communicating, with our Heavenly Father, that He can change our tears and sadness into joy.
There’s a beautiful song by Anthony Brown that says, “show me the grateful people, where are the grateful people” Your praise will turn your wailing into dancing. you turn my wailing into dancing. When you’re feeling low just pray and ask God to move. Then stand back and watch as He does just that.
7 CHOOSE JOY EVERY DAY BY FIXING YOUR EYES ON JESUS
Have you ever met someone who’s just miserable no matter what’s going on in their lives? They could be making a lot of money and live in the nicest house, but still complain about their annoying co-worker? I have. Not only have I met this person, but I’ve also been this person. We all have things that happen in our lives that can rip our joy away if we allow it. The important thing to remember is to fix our eyes on Jesus.
When we fix our eyes on Jesus we don’t hear the pipe that keeps on dripping each night, we don’t notice how overbearing our boss can be and the long hours we have to work gets easier. Fixing your eyes on Jesus restores your joy because your focus is no longer on the problem or nuisance but on the one who can overcome such problems and nuisances with ease.
8 CHOOSE JOY DAILY BY GIVING YOUR TIME TO OTHERS
Have you ever volunteered your time at a community center or charity event? How did you feel afterwards? It’s rewarding, isn’t it? Seeing the joy on children’s faces or watching as grateful people eat the hot meal they’ve been longing for all day, just gives you a feeling of genuine fulfilment. There’s a reason we are asked to give of our time to others.
One of the best ways to choose joy every day is by being of service to others. In helping other people, we become more joyful. I have never met a happy or joyful person who’s never once given their time or support to others.
9 CHOOSE JOY THROUGH WORSHIPPING GOD
I love to worship God. Not only does He deserve our praise and adoration, but there is a feeling that it invokes. Whenever I fix my thoughts on worshipping and thanking God for all He has done for me, I can’t help but remember all those times He’s forgiven me when I didn’t deserve it. I can’t help but be grateful for those life and death situations where He gave me back my life.
Worshipping God in spirit and in truth reminds us of just how far we have come in our journey with our heavenly father. If you had told me a few years ago that I’d be happy, blogging and enjoying it. I probably would have laughed at you. Looking at my life then versus now, as I worship, fills me with immense joy.
10 CHOOSE TO BE JOYFUL BY COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS
Counting your blessings is an amazingly effective way to bring more joy into your life. When you sit down and think about all the things in life that have gone wrong, how do you feel? Depressed? Exhausted? Frustrated? But what if you sit down and make a list of all the blessings in your life how would you feel then? Joyful? Grateful? Happy?
God has done so much for us that when we think about all the things that He has done and all the doors He has opened we can’t help but being joyful.
WHY IS JOY IMPORTANT IN LIFE?
Joy is very important in our lives. That’s why I listed 10 ways to choose joy every day. Life happens and we have to make an intentional choice each day to not see the negatives in our life as purely that. When we choose to be joyful in spite of our circumstances, we are showing others that life is not just black and white. It’s not just about our mistakes. Life is also about our accomplishments, the people who love us and make life worth living, and the blessings that God bestows each day.
Being joyful on a daily basis can literally add years to your life here on earth. By choosing joy you open yourself up to even more blessings, more opportunities, and more success.
I’ve been around the church all of my life, and honestly, the kindest, most successful people I’ve ever met were also the most joyful. The joy they felt on the inside radiated all around them and drew others closer to them as well.
Choosing joy is more than just a choice or a mindset. It is when we decide to switch the focus of our hearts and eyes. It’s perfectly okay to experience negativity and the emotions that come along with it, but at the end of the day, there is wisdom in choosing joy.
There is bravery in choosing joy.
There is growth in choosing joy.
We may not be able to cure the world of its sadness, but we can choose joy in the midst of it.
What do you think? Remember despite what society says, the joy that you have unlike happiness the world didn’t give it to you and they can’t take it away.
Meet me in the comments and let’s chat about some way that you can choose JOY every day!
XO,
Kangelia
Photos by Christina Jones Photography
