But if you know me...I worry...A LOT. So after graduation, the taste of joy was shattered by worry...caused by uncertainty, frustration, and pain. I would go through day by day, being happy, smiling and being polite to people. But if you pulled me aside, and ask how I was really doing, you would know I had some major problems. I longed to have the taste of joy that God was beginning to show me. As a result, one of my biggest prayers and desires was for God to help me experience joy.
Now, three years later, I think God had answered my prayers. I have learned to be at peace and content with where I am at in my life (for the most part). This does not mean I dont want things to change. I mean I still want to know what does God have planned for my career, what my purpose is, if I am ever going to somehow find that special someone. But...for the most part...I just feel content and ok with whatever is set on my path. I realized three years isnt exactly a short journey. But there are many lessons that I have learned to come to this point...and much more lessons to come. Here are some of the things that I found out about joy.
* * *
In my book, happiness and joy are pretty different. I realized I can be happy without having joy or have joy without being happy.
To further understand what I am saying, let's look at happiness first. Happiness is temporary, and surface level. For example, if you look at some drug commercial on TV (or almost any commercial) and you see people playing with their kids and their dog or hugging their husband/wife with a big smile on their face (the American Dream)...that is a good picture of happiness. But, let's pause on that happy scene. *press pause button* Let's look at the things that might be burdening the hearts of these people...they might be worried about losing their job or home, might be going through a hard break up with a significant other, mourning a death of a family member, or some other significant event that might cause one to struggle within the heart. The picture shows people having a good time and being happy. But, happiness does not always reflect on the condition of the heart.
To further understand what I am saying, let's look at happiness first. Happiness is temporary, and surface level. For example, if you look at some drug commercial on TV (or almost any commercial) and you see people playing with their kids and their dog or hugging their husband/wife with a big smile on their face (the American Dream)...that is a good picture of happiness. But, let's pause on that happy scene. *press pause button* Let's look at the things that might be burdening the hearts of these people...they might be worried about losing their job or home, might be going through a hard break up with a significant other, mourning a death of a family member, or some other significant event that might cause one to struggle within the heart. The picture shows people having a good time and being happy. But, happiness does not always reflect on the condition of the heart.
So what about joy...Joy is on a deeper level. It's a sense of peace, contentment, and being unburdened in your heart. The best way I can describe it is true freedom. Day to day, when we begin to worry about things that goes on in our lives (how am I going to pump out this project by next week, what am I doing with my life, what does he/she think of me, am I going to pass this class, etc.), we become enslaved by those repeating thoughts (aKa: worry). It's like worry is taking us hostage. Your mind might end up replaying different scenarios to solve a problem, or just not sure how you can accomplish the seemingly impossible task. As a result, your heart is burdened and the deep sense of peace, contentment and joy can not be achieved. This is the reason why you can be happy when you do things you enjoy, but be enslaved by your worries...causing you to lack joy.
To be free from being enslaved by worry, our hearts need to let go of the worries...in other words, stop worrying. This is where Christ comes in. If we can truly trust that God is in control and He knows what is best for us, worry is useless to us. If what will happen is going to happen, worrying will not change the outcome. So I try my best to live by this...do your best, work your hardest, and God will take care of the rest. Anyways...I ran across this quote the other day that really does a good job illustrating my point:
"I define joy as a sustained state of well-being and internal peace - a connection to what matters."
~Oprah Winfrey
So go and set your heart free! May it no longer be a slave or hostage to your worries. (yea...I know...easier said than done.)
No comments:
Post a Comment