I would assume that most of you reading this post at one point today said, man, I am tired, or something along those lines. We often have days where we are physically, mentally and emotionally drained at the end of the day. Depending on your line of work, it may be rare that you find yourself relaxed, calm and energized throughout your day. Long days, long nights, crazy busyness, awful bosses, gossiping co-workers, bad traffic, other drivers, messy houses, cold dinners; the list goes on and on. In our busy lives, it is fairly easy to get caught up in our active lives and miss out on those important things. Things that bring joy.
Regardless of what we do, we are serving others. Even sitting alone in an office, you are important. Every cubicle, every factory, assembly line, supervisor, teacher, or student. We all have an opportunity to bring new life or new hope to those around us. With this in mind, choose joy every single day. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Philippians:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
As Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi, he wrote these words from a prison cell. Some of us may feel trapped within the four-walled building we call work or the ailing marriage that we sometimes doubt will ever be better. It would be easy to hit autopilot or simply sacrifice believing these would be the better decisions.
BUT
We have a choice! From the love we experience, we can, in return, show God’s love to others every single day. We can show grace, sincerity and heartfelt love to those we serve and those we work with when we choose to accept the love we were so graciously given.
I think it is important to be mindful of our thoughts regarding our joy. In Luke 2, we are told about a “great joy for all the people.” We need to remember that joy came and died for us on a cross. When we chose/choose to follow Jesus, we live in grace and joy every single day. Regardless of your situation, circumstances, struggles or shortcomings, we can choose Jesus. Today, tomorrow, everyday, choose joy!
