Choosing Joy

Pastor Dave brought forth some good points concerning joy:

1. Happiness is an emotion that is dependent upon your circumstances.
2. Joy is a decision that is indepenent of your circumstances.

After the miscarriage last May, I expected there to be grieving, but what I didn't know was how strong and powerful that grief would be 4 and even 5 months down the road! I would think...and think...and think...and it became a downward spiral. I've been working on trusting God, working on remembering that He's in charge - not me, (as a friend put it, "I'm not in charge, so I might as well become good buddies with the One who is!"), working on understanding how he ordains suffering for a reason - not always for me to understand.
At church I heard the words - "Happiness is dependent on our circumstances" but JOY is a decision that is INDEPENDENT of your circumstances."

So...Joy is a decision...

I may not be happy that I am not going to have a baby when I was "supposed to". However, it is up to me to choose whether or not I will be joyful anyway. I may not know what the future holds, but knowing WHO holds it is comforting.

Some insightful things from Pastor Dave:
A joyful spirit is not dependent upon outward circumstances but on a upward focus.

A joyful spirit in your struggle will have greater impact than any words spoken out of strength.

A joyful spirit takes life and trusts God one day at a time. (Psalm 118:24)

Psalm 137 is a Psalm of grief. The people couldn't get over what they lost and they stopped rejoicing. I don't want that to be me. (I think that's why the sermon had such an impact on me.) I will live a life with a "defiant nevertheless"....Nevertheless I will rejoice in the Lord - in any circumstance.


Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be His Name,
He gives and takes away
My heart will choose to say,
Lord Blessed be Your name.