At the Well - A Life of Joy

I'm excited to get this new week started off with a great discussion over At the Well! The discussion centers around Happiness and Joy and the question is:

Why do you think it is important to experience joy, happiness, and contentment as a Christian?How can you create a home filled with laughter and joy?

Many times the Christian life is portrayed as a life of strict, staunch people grudgingly following their Lord. Perhaps that conclusion is brought about by the call to live soberly and righteously. We are called to be people who live a purposeful life - to glorify God and to love one another. God's Word encourages us to be diligent, hard working, focused, faithful and committed, but not dull, deary and void of joy.

The difference in serving with drudgery and serving with joy is when we realize Who we serve. We are called to be a peculiar people living different from the world, submissive to our Lord. Our Lord who loves us with an everlasting love. Who watches over our every step, protects us, keeps us, heals us and directs us. Our Lord is powerful - so powerful that He has conquered death and reigns victorious. How could we NOT rejoice over Him?

What a joy to serve our Lord! He wants to lavish us with His love, bless us and guide us. Do we live in a happily ever after life? Of course not. We will face trials, hurt and grief. But He is there matching our sorrow with His grace and comfort. He equips us with everything we need to live victoriously. Some of my favorite "happy verses" are:

"...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." John 15:11

"And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD;It shall rejoice in His salvation." Psalms 35:9

"...for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

In our lives and homes joy can be cultivated beginning with our thoughts and actions. "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance..." When our heart is happy, so is our face! Meditating on our blessings is a great beginning to a merry heart. Practice singing praises to the Lord is surely a way to lift our spirits. Looking for opportunities each day to laugh and find joyful moments can keep our homes filled with joy.

It is very important for a Christian to have joy and there is joy unspeakable with the Lord. May our hearts and homes overflow with that joy today!

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We

Relationships and Redemption

In every friendship or relationship, there is a common hope that they will grow and flourish. There is something inside of us that longs for a 'happy every after' story. We dream about it and work to make that happen. But in reality, relationships are a challenge. The bridging of values, lifestyles, interests and sacrificing for another are simply hard things to do! No matter how much we dream of the perfect fit, some relationships will not endure the stress. When differences appear and tensions arise, prayer can change situations, attitudes and ourselves. For the Christian, we know God can transform, change, heal. We cannot change others, but prayer opens us the door for God to step in and answer. God desires transformation, but does not demand it. The gift of free will allows us to choose to say Yes or No to Him. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Take notice of the first two words: “If possible …” This implies that some

A Blank Page - A Great Way to Fill It

A blank page - that is the first view of a new blog post. It has been a while since I have faced the blank page of my little blog! A blank page can bring a variety of emotions - emptiness, anxiety, pressure to perform or emotions such as inspiration, encouragement or simply bursting to share something. But there is always something fresh and exciting about the blank page of a New Year. Happy 2023! This is always a time in my life where inspiration and plans are formed and ready to be implemented for greater change. Aspirations may start strong, but alone do not make a difference. It takes consistency to create change. The changing or adding small habits is a key to great changes. A habit that has been beneficial in my life for many years is rising early. It began when the children were small and was the only pocket of time I had to myself. Through the years, mornings have become my favorite time of the day. Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, we go to bed early and rise early.

Tracy Berta-daughter to the King, wife, mother, speaker, writerSeptember 28, 2009 at 8:11 AM
What a beautiful post, Joyfull!!! You chose some of my FAVORITE verses. How true it is that when we realize WHO God is and what a magnificant God we serve that we will be filled with JOY! Thanks so much for joining today at the well. I was so encouraged by your wise words.

Many blessings today! :)
AnonymousSeptember 28, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Just this very morning, when the weather man said, "look out, gloomy weather is on the way", I thought, "just because its gloomy weather doesn't mean that I have to have a gloomy spirit!

And now I read your post on Joy! A confirmation on what I myself was thinking! Thank you and God bl;ess!
AndreaSeptember 29, 2009 at 2:06 PM
To me, this sentence sums it all up:

The difference in serving with drudgery and serving with joy is when we realize Who we serve.

How can we not be joyful when we do as you suggest and think about the One we are serving? He has saved us from our sins! Now that's something to be joyful about!

Thanks for sharing your insight! It blessed me.
JenniferSeptember 29, 2009 at 8:34 PM
Yes indeed, what a JOY to serve the Lord......not only to know who I serve but I love to remember who I really am as His redeemed, adopted daughter of the King of Kings (well...you get the picture)!! Such a great post today - you are such a motivator!:)

Joyfull Living

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