Choose Joy

I feel like every Christian blogger writes at least one blog post about joy per Christmas season.

I hate following blogger stereotypes, buuuuut… joy is kinda important. So allow me to follow this stereotype for just a moment and speak from the heart.

So, today was one of my sad, stay-in-bed, lack-motivation-to-do-literally-everything days. I’ve felt soooo sick today. I had a lot on my heart and my attitude had been..well.. completely tragic.

I was sitting on the couch, crying/avoiding school at all costs/listening to River Of Tears by Alessia Cara on repeat, when I looked at the sparkling Christmas tree and had a sudden thought:

This is supposed to be a season of joy… and I’m being the opposite of joyful right now.

I’d like to say that, after that realization, I snapped out of my sadness and became a bubbly, loving, inspiring person.

That didn’t really happen.

I still had to fight to smile at people. I still had to sit myself down continually and give myself a pep talk. I still had to surrender my attitude to God over and over.

Being joyful is a choice.

But you can’t just say, “from this point forward, I will be a wonderful, joyful individual.” I don’t think it really works like that.

You have to fight for it.

You have to keep choosing it. Over and over and over.

And it gets really exhausting. But keep fighting for it!! Psalm 33:1 says “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.”

The Lord blesses us with so much. No matter what it is that we’re struggling with, we still have infinite reasons to choose joy.

So I want to encourage you today to, no matter what the circumstances are, fill yourselves with God-given joy.

Pray for it. Look for it. Choose it above sadness, anger, irritation, envy, and bitterness.