I pick Joy for the WIN

Happy vs. Joy  (Get Joy...Get Joy...Get Joy)  subtitled There is a song about it...Joy Joy Joy down in my soul!

 

 Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.

 

I wish I did better at documenting what I read.  So I could be like the fancy intelligent folks who can say, "Here is a quote from blah blah blah, I came across when I was reading blah blah blah"

But I'm not that lady, I do read though and one day I was reading a book (hmm or maybe I was listening to a TV show, ANYWAY) and it was discussing how happiness is external but joy is so much deeper (internal).    

You can't be happy and sad at the same time...Simply put they cancel each other out.  I can look back over my life though and pick out a few sad moments and I can truly say even in the midst of it all I still had joy.

Several people were amazed at the reaction I had when my car was stolen.  Oh they said I would have been angry and cussing and fussing.  I'm no saint so I'm in no way shape or form above cussing and fussing (heck if you catch me watching a football game - you will clearly see that I am quite talented at cussing and fussing)  When my car got stolen I was hurt and I was sad, but in me bubbled up a joy.  I knew it would all be alright.  Not just a general knowing.  I could feel in my spirit that a way would be made, so my soul danced with Joy.

I'm not a theologian, a scientist, or a psychic I only can speak from my experiencing.  Praising God in the middle of the storm, enhances the joy in your soul.  Giving your storm over to God enhances your joy.  Loving when you should hate enhances your joy. 

Don't worry about what the world thinks or says, because they will always ask why are you so happy as they look from the outside in to your circumstances.

What they can't see is the joyous light of God working it out on the inside of you.

Choose JOY

Here is a great article about Joy vs. Happiness as well

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/pathological-relationships/201212/joy-vs-happiness

  Joy

Joy is a state of mind and an orientation of the heart. It is a settled state of contentment, confidence and hope. It is something or someone that provides a source of happiness. It appears 88 times in the Old Testament in 22 books; 57 times in the New Testament in 18 books.^

http://www.theopedia.com/Joy

** Recognize the word SOURCE (Get your Source)

 

A quiet place!!!

My quiet place...

 

Mark 1:35-37 - And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 

I have always had a desire in me to shut down.  A need to turn off all surrounding distraction and just get lost in my thoughts until they become organized.  However in this world - Ain't nobody got time for that!

In a world where we are slowly being trained into being busy bees and to teach our kids to be even more busy its hard.  I often laugh at my daughter when we are traveling as she complains about being bored.  In the back seat of the car she has a mini house, filled with food blankets, books, tablets, a DS, headphones, and a DVD player.  She has her own distraction system created by me, to be fully entertained for a life time if need be.  But she's bored. 

I remember my road trips back in the day.  The only thing you had in the backseat was maybe a book or some paper and a pencil.  You made the best of it.  If you couldn't figure out what to do with those items you created your own games.  Which could include coaxing the 18 wheelers that drove by to blow their horns and scare the other drivers.

Now I just want to stop the world at times.  I miss the opportunities to be bored.  Go to a quiet place,  where I connect with God.  A place that fills me up with joy and laughter just by using the gifts of my mind. 

I keep promising to commit to meditation, but simply put it's not my thing, but I do have one special place in my house that I can go to.  And when I am there I know God speaks to me.  He holds me like the little child that he created and tells me about my path.  The more I go to this place the more he speaks.

Find your quiet place.  Your sweet spot.  The place where all the distractions of the world are made small and the voice and love of God is made big.  Refuel in this place and then go out to face the world but bring the peace and love that has been given to you, so you won't get bored being a blessing.