Our JOY

By Susan Gahan

Do you ever come across people or a particular person who continually seems to bring you down?

Is it hard to go to work every day knowing that your happiness may go down the tubes? Are you having a great day, and then someone cuts you off in traffic, or do you come home to a mess that someone made and should have cleaned up?

Well, let me tell you a story about JOY. My friend and I have issues like all of you. I told her that we needed to start carrying our JOY in our back pockets. In carrying our JOY in our back pockets, we have to make an honest effort to not let anyone steal our JOY. Now that is a tricky thing. Let's face it. For every kind person, unfortunately, there are 5 mean, hateful people who really want to steal your JOY. I would look in my back pocket at the end of the day, and sometimes my JOY was there, and sometimes it was just OY. My thinking is that when your JOY becomes just Y, you begin to think, WHY am I here, and WHY am I doing this? It frustrates me at times and makes me mad because the devil is winning. What right does he have to my JOY?

My new thing is that I will not let the devil win. Is it going to be a struggle? Well, of course. He really tries to make my life miserable. Doesn't he do that to you also? So we need to take control of the issues. Use the ten-second rule of waiting ten seconds before you answer anyone.

Make sure that it is what God would want you to say. Guard your JOY and be proud that you have come home with JOY in your pocket and in your heart. Remember, though, you will have those days that you end up with just OY or Y, but God is with you through it all. HE loves us all, and he is Y we are all here.

                                               Biblical Truth: The joy of the Lord is your strength!