Choosing Joy

Life is beautiful, fun, exciting and incredible. It can also be really, really hard.  We all have to walk through our own personal struggles and our own “thorn in the flesh”.  Lately I’ve been struggling with the “why ” of it all. What is the point of suffering? Why does it exist? Why does a good God allow pain, etc.

I’m not a Bible Scholar, nor an expert on the authority of God’s word, nor someone who has any sort of special knowledge- but I felt particularly inspired to share a few things this morning and who am I to tell God no? 🙂

I try to start my mornings with reading the Bible.  Sometimes it’s just a single verse, sometimes I miss it completely, and sometimes, like this morning I have the opportunity to sit down and really, really dig in.

Those are the best mornings.

I’ve been walking through my own personal struggle over the past year or so.  Nothing major, nothing “life altering”, nothing ground breaking, but little things adding up to what I’ve allowed to become a big thing.  I use the word “allowed” because that’s what it is.  I have chosen to compare, to criticize, to become angry and in a sense bitter when instead I had the option to choose joy.

I read this particular passage this morning and was really struck by it.  Nevermind the fact that I’ve read the book of Philippians about a hundred times (one of my favorites!) and glossed over these verses – by the Grace of God- He knew I really needed an attitude check and gave me one gently.

“I want you to know, brothers,that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.  And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”
-Philippains 1:12-18

The brief background to this is Paul is writing this from a prison where he has been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel.  As someone from our home group Tuesday put it “you would think he wrote this book from somewhere with a view of the mountaintops and a nice mocha” (haha!).  Instead, he has been beaten and thrown in jail multiple times, once to the point where his attackers presumed he was dead (Acts 14:19)

The thing that hit me the most about those verses was that there are 2 distinct groups Paul mentions:

1. The group that has “become confident in the Lord” and are “much more bold to speak the word without fear” and “do it out of good will…and love”.
2.  The group that “proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition” to “afflict (Paul) in (his) imprisonment”.

The same exact situation- Paul is imprisoned for Christ.

One group looks at him, CHOOSES joy, chooses to be encouraged, allows the Lord to use it for God and become more bold.

The other group looks at him, CHOOSES envy, chooses to be hateful, chooses to be bitter and yet…still preach the Gospel.

In the eyes of one group, Paul is a great success.  In the eyes of the other, he is a total failure.  I can just hear them now “God must hate Paul.  Look- He’s allowed him to be beaten, imprisoned, cut off from the body and left alone! He’s crazy to think God cares for him, or that Jesus knows him….”

And yet….the end result for both groups? The Gospel is proclaimed. And for that, Paul “rejoices”!  The purpose and the will of God will stand and be accomplished, regardless of how we react….yet wouldn’t we rather be on the side that chooses to be excited and joyful? I know I would.

Paul even is glad that he is in prison! Why? Because the “whole imperial guard” was allowed to hear the Gospel.  Whhhaaaaat?!?! About 3 chapters later, in Philippians 4, Paul shares the secret to his good attitude- surprise! It’s what you allow your mind to dwell on!

The fruits of the spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22) can only be attained under hard circumstances.  Who learns peace and patience when everything is going well for them all the time?  But it’s under the pressure of life, under the times when things aren’t going so super hot, that you can be rewarded these qualities.


God is bigger then ourselves.  Much, much more.  He is GOOD and he CARES for you.  Don’t allow yourself to be tricked into any other belief.  Choose joy! Stop comparing (preaching to myself here!), stop doubting, stop whining (ahem, Tania), stop being part of group two who is so quick to point to failure and accept bitterness….CHOOSE JOY! Rejoice! Be grateful! Life is good, even when it doesn’t feel like it.  God’s got you.  Just keep going.  Even when you don’t feel like it.  He cares for you! He has promised that He will NEVER leave or forsake you!

 

So what will you choose today? Sorrow or joy? Negativity or positivity? Belief or disbelief.  ASK God for help! He will do it.  It is from him alone that the gift of faith exists.  Ask Him for an attitude check.  Find things to be grateful on- and dwell on those things.  🙂 It’s not easy…but we have to choose it or become bitter and sad.

Lastly, I love this story someone posted on Facebook.  I’ll leave you all with this:

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

 
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Tania Griffis is an accomplished writer, blogger, and interior designer with a Journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma. She started her popular blog, Run to Radiance, in 2011, demonstrating her design expertise through the personal remodeling of six houses to millions of readers across the globe.

Tania also owns The Creative Wheelhouse, a respected ghostwriting agency for bloggers, further showcasing her talent for creating engaging and informative content.

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