True Joy

Probably the most important thing I can ever tell you about is how to find true JOY in life. It took me more than 30 years to figure it out and I pray that you will find it much quicker than I did! When I say the word "joy" I mean complete and utter happiness, living and loving life to its fullest. I'm not saying you'll never have hard times or sadness in life, but you can choose to live with joy in your life and that joy will bring you through those difficult times.

Throughout my life I looked for things that would bring me joy, but always came up disappointed. I would achieve temporary joy, sometimes lasting a year, sometimes lasting an hour. The problem was that I was trying to achieve it from people, shopping, food, anything new and exciting. When I was younger, I would rearrange my room once a month. I loved that "new" feeling. The problem with that is that you eventually get used to things and that new feeling fades. When I would try to find joy in people, be it friends or boyfriends, people are human and always disappoint at some time or another. In high school, I always had boyfriends. I thought if I had someone in my life, they could keep that joy going. That was FAR from the truth. In fact, it did the opposite, often leading to pressure, fighting and unhappiness. I wasted away my high school years with boyfriends that always disappointed me. In the mean time, I watched friends who weren't tied down by boyfriends spending time together, having fun, without a jealous boyfriend questioning their every move. I look back and feel like I lost out on so much. I pray that my girls won't tie them down with "serious" relationships in their teen years. I pray they will use those years to enjoy their friends, group date and not be tied down. Now, I'm not against boyfriends, as long as they don't consume their lives, keeping them from friends and activities and spark fits of jealousy.

So, where did I find joy? God! He is the only thing in life that is perfect, flawless and loving. Once I handed over my entire life to Him, including my worries, fears, anxiety, EVERYTHING, I experienced peace that only He can bring. The Holy Spirit filled me with the confidence that I always lacked. I still catch myself worrying, relying on myself instead of Him, the difference is that now that I am disciplined in His Word, I always step back and let Him take control again. This didn't come instantly when I became a Christian. It was a process as I grew in my Christian walk and it's an ongoing process. That's why it's important to constantly stay in the Word, if you don't, you'll find yourself slowly taking control back away from God.

There you have it, TRUE JOY can ONLY come from God!