The Sound of Joy

JOY.

I’ve been thinking about this word a lot.

What IS joy exactly?

Is it happiness? Is it being content? Is it doing something we love? Is it a beautiful summer day? What is it?

And in thinking this through I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both Jesus and Joy begin with the same letter of the alphabet. 

I attempt to make a daily effort to exercise. It makes me feel so much better, and is something I truly look forward to every day.

In the busyness of this season, I have been so stressed and overwhelmed with the amount of things on my to-do list. And I have been thinking recently and wondering what I can do to feel better, to feel that joy again, in the midst of all the stress of my to-do lists. Because I know those lists aren’t dwindling down anytime soon.

So I realized that I was missing something. And it was something big.

In the busyness of the season I without realizing it stopped making intentional time for God every day. I would say prayers throughout the day, but I didn’t make a conscious specific time that I set aside to talk to Him. To pour my heart out to Him, and thank Him. For even the busyness of the season.

So slowly but surely I began incorporating Him back into my daily life, and I don’t think it was a coincidence that I began feeling so much joy.

Here I am with a to-do list as long as the state of California, and so much stress. But I still feel peace. And I still feel joyful. 

And I realized it was through God. I heard it. The sound of joy. He played the sound for me, and continues to play it for me day in and day out. I just needed to listen to hear it.

I realized I spend an hour a day for my physical exercise, but why was I not spending an hour a day for my spiritual exercise? Because THAT type of exercise is the type that will leave us feeling whole, that will truly bring us fulfillment, and that will bring us everlasting joy.

We just have to open our ears to hear it. We need to open our eyes to see it. And we need to open our hearts to feel it.

xoxo