Life is not meant to be lived in extreme happiness all of the time or in complete despair all of the time. We are humans and we are not meant to be perfect. One thing that is certain is that life is meant to be lived with joy despite of the ever-changing human emotions. It is important to find delight in what you have versus what you don’t have.
In Proverbs 17:22 it speaks about joy. It states; “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” This means that when you find joy, you find peace and that peace is not dependent on a current situation. It is dependent on the decision you have made to be on the other side of negativity. It is very easy to allow negative feelings and thoughts to overtake your life.
I have learned so many lessons throughout the years that I will always take with me wherever I go. I have realized that my inner peace and joy cannot be dependent on the situation I was going through at a specific time in my life. Regardless of how many negative things I found, there was always at least one positive that would help keep me afloat and with enough reasons to want to keep fighting the good fight. The fight that is continuously fought to stay alive.
I have to say that even in the worst moments of my life, God always showed up, even when I didn’t see it, he always found a way to help me see beyond the current stats. I learned to let joy reign over my life and I remember like yesterday, listening to a sermon where a pastor said, “your joy is with you despite of…” I’ve allowed those words to sink in. I do not have perfect days, but I have a God that is with me the whole way, and that is with you too. What he has done in my life, he can do in your life with so much ease. It is imperative to have an open and receptive heart so that the beautiful things in life do not pass you by.
A few of my daily practices are:
- Wake up in the morning, show up with a grateful heart. You do this by thanking God for the mere act of waking you up.
- I list out the negative versus the positive things in my life. I write it out on paper and see that the good always outweighs the bad. (How am I certain? If God allowed me to wake up in the morning, just know my life is meant for something much greater than yesterday.)
- I am no longer afraid to speak into existence what I want to accomplish and where I see complete fulfillment in my life. The more I speak positive words out loud, the more life I give to the joy waiting to be experienced.
It is not easy to live a life of joy despite of… – but it is completely possible.
