Keep your JOY.

      God has been close to me lately. For the sole reason that I have needed Him. He has been teaching me and stretching me. The process has not been easy or all that enjoyable, but now that I have gained a little perspective I can see that I have grown. Anyone who knows me is aware that I am an emotional person, I feel everything very strongly and empathy is my number one strength. These are not bad things, they can even be assets in some cases but I was starting to see that my emotions were taking control of my life. 

      We all have trials, problems, and hard situations in our lives. Some that last for a week or two, and others that seem to have no expiration date. I too have dealt with these pains and if I paid any attention to them they would wreck me. I would find myself having the same conversations, or caught in the same scenarios, again letting my emotion get in the way of my logical thinking. It was hurting my relationships, and it was hurting me. Emotion is a beautiful thing that we should be grateful for, but it can also be used by the enemy as a tool to keep us weak. Like anything in life we must learn to discipline our emotion, and know when to use it. 

         Last week in bible study I was introduced to the idea of our own Personal Joy, that we can find in the strength of our Lord. As Christians we have the ability to be joyful everyday no matter the circumstances. If we find our strength, affirmation, and confirmation in the Lord nothing worldly should be able to effect us. HE is the only one that matters, HE is the only one that we should be working to impress. He is pleased with us no matter what, and that is a beautiful truth to remember. It's when we start worrying about pleasing others that we get into trouble. When we start caring about what others think of us we start living for ourselves and for those around us instead of focusing on the Father and His desires for our lives. 

       There are many situations in life that could get the best of me, overwhelm me, or threaten to make me cry. In those times I now have to stop and ask myself a few questions. Is this too big for God to handle? Am I fully relying on Him for my strength today? Am I going to let this situation steal my God given JOY? We can constantly walk through life in a state of contentment and joy if we stop letting the world and it's negativity get us down. When you find yourself starting to worry about people pleasing, over achieving, or perfectionism, remember that our only goal everyday when we wake up is to please the Lord, and just by loving Him we have already accomplished that!