Yayyyy first blog talking about Jesus! We’re going to start off with something simple so we can ease into it, so let’s talk about finding joy and Jesus! Happiness seems to be on everyone’s mind these days, and why wouldn’t it? Who doesn’t want to be happy? There seems to be an endless amount of ways to find “true happiness” or how to live a happy life. The idea of happiness is not a bad idea by any means, God created us and gave us life. We should want to enjoy it but there is a major difference between happiness and joy that we must understand. Joy comes from walking with the Lord and having confidence in him, joy from the Lord will never leave us. Happiness is often fleeting and usually based on our circumstances.
I sometimes will find myself looking for happiness in my circumstances or other people. Yes, the people in my life bring happiness. Yes, doing things I enjoy such as crafting or running brings me happiness. Yes, glamming and putting on a new outfit brings me happiness. But what these things don’t bring me, is joy. Buying a new outfit gives me a thrill that only lasts for so long until I’ve worn it and I’m bored with it. The difference between all of these things and Jesus is that they are all temporary. Jesus is constant and steadfast; his joy is never ending. His love won’t leave us like people do, and we cannot outgrow his love like we do with clothes. His love for us is so strong and gives me so much comfort.
Don’t get me wrong I am not trying to say that any of these things are bad. I love to be around my friends and family laughing with them, or out shopping, or going for a run. God made all of these gifts for us to enjoy and give thanks to him for. What we can’t do is put our hope in them because they won’t leave us feeling like Jesus does. I see so many people in today’s world running from one thing to the next just looking for something to make them “happy”. And I think that looks pretty exhausting. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t done the same. Too many times I’ve found myself having a bad day and thinking that if I just had this one thing or I could just go to this one place then I would feel so much better and I would be happy.
During my senior year of high school I was so over it. I hated my hometown and I was so over all the high school drama. I could not wait to get the heck out of there and start my adult life. I truly thought that once I was at Ole Miss and in a new place with new people it would solve all my problems and I would be as happy as a clam. But little did I know college would have just as many challenges and it wasn’t the secret to unlocking forever happiness. What I learned is that true joy or “happiness” only comes from Jesus. When we turn our eyes to him we see his goodness. Instead of focusing on all the things that you aren’t happy about and how you can find happiness in something else, choose to focus on God and his promises for you.
You are so loved by such a good father and he has such a good plan for you. Trust in him and believe his promises for you. Instead of running from one thing to the next to find happiness, stop and look around you at all that God has done for you and just general. It can even be something so small such as a pretty flower (isn’t it so beautiful that the God who made flowers thought that the world needed you?! Gosh he’s just so good!) We get so caught up in our circumstances and things in the world that we don’t take time to see God at work and enjoy his love. Believe me everyone has a bad day including myself. There are days where it seems like nothing can go right for me, and you know what that’s just life. We live in a fallen world and things aren’t going to be perfect. But what gets me through a hard day is, knowing that the same God who made my favorite flower also made me and has a GOOD plan for me. That is what brings me joy, knowing that God is working for our good and putting my trust in him. Your circumstances are temporary and thank goodness they are! Know that every day with Jesus is better than the last (thank you Kitty Hurdle for these wise words!) and that he is at work. So don’t let the enemy steal your joy by believing the lies he tells you. Go enjoy the beautiful day that the Lord has made and enjoy his gifts that he’s given us, but do not put your trust in them and idolize them as the key to happiness. Trust in God and know he loves you more than you can even imagine and that his plan for you is so good and better than anything you could plan on your own. Life is good and so is the giver!