Go find Joy!

Searching…Searching

Ahhh….Found!

I’m still reading “God Calling” edited by A.J. Russell daily. In the September 19^th thoughts I found a game challenge hidden in the writing. Let’s Play!

“Full Joy

These things have I spoken unto you…that your Joy may be full. John 15:11

Remember that the Truths I teach you have all been given to you too (as to My disciples of old) with the idea of giving you that overflowing Joy…

Search for the Joy in life. Hunt for it as for hidden treasure. Love and Laugh. Delight yourselves in the Lord.

Joy in Me. Full Joy it was I wished My disciples to have. I intended them to have it. Had they lived My Teachings out in their daily lives they would have had Fullness of Joy.”

Has the hunt for Joy in the American life become work? It has for me. You know the drill: I’ll be satisfied when this goal is reached…Kind of like Tantalus in Greek mythology where the fruit and water is always just out of reach. Do you feel like I do? That Joy is hiding in a great game of hide and seek. Where do I find joy?

So of course I engaged in this game. Where is the Joy in my life? I had to go back and look at the entire passage (John 15:1-17). The passage is part of the Last Supper where Jesus and the disciples talk. The reading starts with the parable of the vine and the branches (verses 1-8). It flows into love, joy, friendship, and moves back to love (verses 9-17).Verse 17 ends the passage with “These things I command you, that ye love one another.” [KJV]

I also found the full text of verse 11 spoke to me. “These things I have spoken unto you, that My Joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” [KJV]

Well…Joy is all about me? The verse says to me, Jesus shared all of this with me so His Joy might remain in me. And that my joy might be full. It sounds like His Joy to me is a gift. And the ‘might’ means that Joy is not a guarantee or permanent. Like a gift it has to be acknowledged and accepted.

My Jesus wants to give me His Joy. He wants me to feel it in the recesses of my soul.  In the devotion the writer was inspired to hunt for joy as a hidden treasure. Oh boy, Oh boy…{rubbing my hands together}…I do love a good treasure hunt! The next phrase the writer used is: “Delight yourselves in the Lord,” With the emphasis on ‘delight.’ AHA! A Clue!

Let’s start looking at where I can personally find my joy. Yesterday wasn’t a particularly great day. Actually in my usual frame of mind it was downright awful. I was in a lot of pain and really didn’t want to be at work. I really wanted to crawl under the covers and hide from the world. I’m glad I didn’t because this is what I found. I found Joy hidden in the crevices of my life:

• My morning prayers brought my mind away from my pain to my Higher Power.
• I met a person at the bank who somehow recognized Christ in me. We talked about Faith. I don’t even know his name but he blessed me. I hope I blessed him too.
• My husband invited me to a lunch date. Woo Hoo!
• In praying for others. I felt the stirring of the Holy Spirit. I won’t understand here on earth what he was up to yesterday but, I felt a part of something larger.
• I had a pleasant conversation with my Dad last night.
• I’m exploring my dreams with my husband and friends.
• Writing this post. I truly do enjoy writing. Even the editing and set-up.

I found I actually did have a day filled with His Joy. I am grateful for the change in perspective. The gift of His Joy lets me focus on the good instead of the bad in my day. It gives me a grateful heart for God’s presence in my life. And what I originally thought of as a “bad day” became a “beautiful day.”

When I focused on my Star, Jesus, I won the prize. I found my treasure. I found His Gift to me…His Joy.

Did you find your Joy? Your Joy will be different from mine, tell me about it…

Love and prayers, Milly!