A summer evening some time ago God taught me that “Joy” is a choice”…
I had been laid up with an annoying case of vertigo for over a week. Den (my husband) came in and said, “Oh Ruthann, it is so beautiful out tonight, you haven’t been outside for days, let’s go for a ride and get some ice cream.” That was music to my ears, but on the way to the car he said something to me and I barked at him. Then I said, “I’m sorry, Den, don’t push me on that right now, I’m kind of crabby today.” And he responded, “Yeah, I know, that’s the choice you made.”
That drew me back, but I knew it was really the Lord speaking. I stopped and just stood there thinking. Den went on down the walk and when he realized I wasn’t following, he came back and asked me what was wrong. I told him, “You know Honey, I didn’t wake up this morning and choose to be crabby, but what I didn’t do was wake up this morning and choose to be joyful! By default, apparently my flesh decided I would be crabby. And so I have been all day.”
Wow, that was a God moment!
Since that evening, choosing to believe the scriptures that says “…joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5), I have determined that I would thank God for His promise and deliberately choose to ask Him to adorn me in joy first thing every morning. I ask Him to help me put on joy as a robe that completely envelops me so that it affects every aspect of my life today: my attitudes, my responses to others, my smile, the twinkle in my eye, my demeanor and even my enthusiasm in praying and worshipping the Lord. When joy is my focus, the sky is bluer, the rain smells sweeter and even the squeaking hinge or drippy faucet aren’t so annoying. That was, and continues to be, a life changer!“
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
Authored by Ruthann Gleason