Living In Joy Not On Repeat
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“You will teach me how to live a holy life. Being with you will fill me with joy, at your right hand I will find pleasure forever.” Psalm 16:11
Each morning, I wash a load of clothes that include my running gear. I like to wear clean and fresh clothes when I run. I do not like to leave the smelly and sweaty running gear in my house. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. We each have a routine in some form each day. It may be a morning schedule that keeps you on task especially as the new school year begins. It may be a work routine or a workout regimen. Sometimes even our relationship with God becomes a routine – worship, prayer, and devotions. Rinse and Repeat.
Routines are good and helpful because they keep us focused and on schedule. They assist in making sure everything necessary gets completed. But sometimes they become joyless, monotonous, and lead to just going through the motions of life. We lose the joy of life and just wash, rinse and repeat. We lose sight of the purpose of life and get lost in the dailyness of what the world tells us is important. Life seems to be moving and just taking us along without much thought or focus on our part. We get lost in the doing – the chores, the tasks, keeping up with the basics and attending the events that are required. We want to be aware and knowledgeable of what is happening around us. Though this can lead to becoming overwhelmed and feeling that we are not doing enough. Some days may feel like you are going in circles or you are in the washer – wash, rinse, repeat.
So, how do we live into the joy of life and not on the merry-go-round of repetition without meaning? I believe Psalm 16:11 is a foundational guide for this change and journey. We learn through God’s Word that we are to live a holy life. Holy means set apart. To be set apart is to not be like everyone or everything around us. When we get lost in society, the media, the behaviors and addictions of this world, we lose focus. Anxiety and fear take control, and we are always worrying and being afraid.
God sets us apart and teaches you and me, He is in control. The weight of life is not on our shoulders. God will carry our burdens if we will release them to God and surrender daily to Him. It is not our responsibility to fix every person. Really, it is not your responsibility! God will give you strength for each day. To rely on God is to be in relationship with the One who loves us the most and is always listening and always present.
God promises to fill you and me with joy once we are set apart and focused on His presence and His power within us. Notice that the joy is not what we create but what God gives us and fills us. So, what is this joy? It does not come from the world and outward circumstances. It comes from within us. Joy is an inner contentment that has nothing to do with our situation and what is happening around us. It is an inner peace that does not let worry, fear, and anxiety be in control or even have a voice. Living in joy is living in the presence of God. It is when we find pleasure which is fulfillment, contentment, and daily purpose in being with God.
Joy is being aware of God with you, within you, and all around you. It is when you breathe in the fresh air of God’s Spirit and release the worries and pressures this world creates within us.
I find joy when God becomes my priority, and I look at the things of this world and relationships through the lens of God’s love and grace. I stop just surviving and completing tasks, to actually living life and experiencing God’s presence and peace in everything. It sure changes my perspective and releases me from worry and fear. God’s joy is my strength.
Joy awaits you. An inner peace and contentment in which you worry less and trust God more. A joy that is deep within you no matter what is going on around you because your focus is on God’s love, grace, and peace, not on the worry, fear and anxiety that the world is creating all around you. Rinse off the negativity and worry, and live in the cleansing joy of God’s Spirit.
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