God-centered joy

"When we choose well, the paths of surrender, relationship, acceptance and trust lead us to Him and His power.

"Now we are standing in front of another fork.  This time, we're seeking a path that will deliver us to something we're all looking for: joy,  What's interesting, however, it that the trail to joy is unmarked, full of rocks and overgrown  weeds, and rarely traveled.  As a result, whenever we arrive at this fork, we almost always choose the wrong path--and end up wondering why we're lost.

"To put this is plain terms, we often think possessions and things will make us happy.  Food, Sex. Money.  A new dress, couch, car, home, job or spouse.  We think that if we rearrange the circumstances, everything will get better.  Eventually, some of us figure it out, at least some of the time, that isn't how it works.  The external possessions and things are enticing and may offer temporary pleasure, but ultimately, they don't make a difference.  They are the wrong path.

"Joy springs from an internal choice--a decision of the heart about the heart.  It has nothing to do with circumstances and everything to do with God and where we are going with Him.  It also--and this is the part that trips us up--has little to do with what we, in all our "wisdom," want and believe we need.  The path that leads to joy is based entirely on what God desires for us.  Once we begin to walk in the direction He's pointing out to us, we discover true delight.

"Said another way, joy results when we focus more on God and less...on ourselves." - Jim Daly in Stronger

We all want joy in our lives.  We can try to fill that space in our lives with things, and entertainment, but those things are fleeting.  Inner joy comes from being who we are made to be, aligned with God.  Then even when things aren't perfect we can be content and joyful.

Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a counselor in Colorado.  She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928