I’ll only be happy when I meet the One.
I’ll only be happy when I reach this place in my career.
I’ll only be happy when I get the job.
Any of these phrases sound familiar? That’s probably because at one time or another, we’ve all said them.
At one time in our lives, we’ve expressed that out joy will only be complete when we feel our life is complete. In the meantime, we will store it away and wait until the time is right to let it out.
Do you know what you call that? Delaying your joy.
Are You Delaying Your Joy?
Too often we base our happiness on our circumstances. It’s understandable. Sometimes our circumstances can be so frustrating, devastating and challenging that we might feel that there is no room for joy.
But if you hold breath for better a situation, you might hold your breath forever. You might spend the rest of your life waiting to be happy while never actually being so.
Yet, that’s not how God wants us to live. He doesn’t want you trudging though life being miserable. He wants you to be happy and He wants you to be joyful, today.
God Wants You to Be Joyful Today
Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) says:
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
The Psalm does not say that tomorrow is the day the Lord has made. Or next year will be the day the Lord has made. It says today. This means right now, in this moment and not the one to come, we are to rejoice. We are to be joyful.
This is what God desires of us and for us.
That we might rejoice today and not wait on tomorrow before we can be happy. Not wait until we meet the One or when we get the job. Not when we reach the peak of our careers.
Life is full of tribulation that comes in all shapes and forms. If you are going to make it on this journey, you need joy.
You Need Joy for the Journey
Living in a perpetual state of anticipation can lead to feelings of discouragement and hopelessness when what you are anticipating doesn’t come.
Such emotions drain you emotionally, spiritually and physically. They can keep you from giving the best of yourself in the time you are in.
They can keep you from learning the lessons and receiving the blessing of the season you are in.
They can keep you from experiencing true growth and transformation in your Christian life.
Joy does the opposite. It gives you strength.
Joy gives you the ability to remain hopeful even in the midst of hopeless situations. It gives you the ability to endure through challenging ones. Joy opens your heart to receive from the Lord.
That is why you need to be joyful. Not tomorrow or in the weeks and months to come, but now.
Embrace Joy Now
Now is the time to receive the joy of the Lord.
Now is the time to stop waiting for things to change and just be joyful.
Stop looking for things to change. You must change.
Change your attitude and start looking out for the goodness of the Lord. Start seeing the ways He has walked with you and provided for you. Count the miracles and blessings and be grateful for them. Be joyful about them.
Whether or not you get what you want isn’t the point. The process and the journey is what matters after all, this isn’t the final destination. The glory of eternity is what we look forward to. And it is there that we can expect every circumstance and situation to be perfect.
But until then, run with perseverance the race that is set before you (Hebrews 12:1), and do it with joy. You will be stronger for it.
