My husband and I once pastored a church where several congregation members told us they had issues with how we spoke because we were “too happy all the time”. It wasn’t meant as a compliment, but Philip and I took it as one :)
I believed then and still do that feeding your happiness and joy is vital because it fuels hope, and hope activates our faith.
Without joy and hope, we won't expect much, and life can soon become very monotone and grey. We can then find ourselves not even bothering to stop and enjoy the scenery, the sunshine, the refreshing rain, the people around us, our food, and all that God has blessed us with. Instead, we simply put our heads down and busy ourselves with the task at hand and doing that day in and day out.
But the good news is that God is a good God who created us with a massive capacity for joy. He knows its importance and the creative and energising power joy releases in our spirits and souls and encourages us to feed our joy and happiness. Jesus even said, “the thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]” (John 10:10)
But it is our choice whether we receive that type of life and what we determine to focus on and feed on. And it will take being proactive as a lot of social media, the news, entertainment, and people’s conversations, are not designed to feed happiness but rather despair and hopelessness.
Today, what are you “feeding” on?
You have a choice, so today I encourage you to feed happiness and know that even a slight shift in your perspective will start to change your life. Not only will your focus shift from fear to hope, but in choosing to “feed happiness”, you will quickly become a source of blessing and constant encouragement to everyone you meet.
Some good ways to begin are:
Purposely listening to uplifting music.
Watching happy movies, social media posts, and television.
Focusing on inspiring people and their stories.
Eating good food - Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies are great! (Shontelle, our youngest daughter, just handed me some of her baking as I typed this 😊)
Getting out in the fresh air and appreciating the beauty all around you.
Surrounding yourself with relationships and pursuits that bring you joy.
Counting your blessings and practicing gratitude.
Engaging in random acts of kindness – think about others and how you can bless them.
Responding kindly and constructively to others
Celebrating your wins (no matter how small) and cheering others on when they share good news with you too.
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” (Philippians 4:8-9 The Message)
“Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10)
Prayer: Lord, I give you all my worries and concerns today and exchange them for your joy. Please help me feed joy and happiness today in all I listen to, watch, and participate in. In Jesus' name Amen
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