When The Joy Fades…
Holding On To Joy
We all face times in our lives when joy is hard to grasp. Sometimes its directly related to the circumstances we find ourselves in. Tough times in life are sure to test how strongly we hold on to our joy. We can still hold on in tough times, but honestly, it’s hard to be joyful when it seems that nothing is going your way. So how do you hold on to your joyfulness? The first thing we have to do is determine what we are looking to as our source. Have we confused joy with happiness?
Joy Or Happiness?
The enjoyment of things can bring us happiness. I enjoy watching my favorite movie, but over time that fades. You can enjoy spending time with friends but what if those friends move on? Can we still find joy without happiness? Maybe you find enjoyment in your job, but what if that new boss makes working difficult? What about your favorite sports team, is it still fun to watch them when they aren’t doing so hot anymore?
These are just a few examples of things we usually enjoy that can fade over time. But these things really only qualify as bringing us happiness. We will ultimately be let down if these things become our source of joy. Not only can these things lose their attraction, but sometimes circumstances come into our lives that make it difficult to find happiness in anything, no matter how much you have enjoyed them in the past. So what do you do when you’ve searched for happiness in everything you do but you never can find a lasting source.
The Source Of Joy
Here’s the deal. A relationship with God through Jesus is the only way to find true happiness and joy. We will be let down if we try to set anything else as our source. Jesus is the only true and lasting source that we will ever find. He is the eternal source, the one source that we were designed to turn to. Our lives go best when we live them according to the way they were designed to be lived, and part of that is placing our joy in God and God alone. So what have you been placing your joy in? Has it let you down?