The Joy of the Lord is my strength. Nehemiah 8:10

It had been a hard year, and somewhere along the way I had lost my joy. I Happiness wasn’t lacking, it was something more internal.  I had lost my joy.  How had I lost it, and what could I do to get it back?

Busyness was definitely part of what had stolen my joy. I was too busy.  I had no margin.  Every minute was scheduled until I fell into bed at night.  I was running on empty, and it was taking a toll on my mood.  I had become cynical and bitter.

And so, I needed something to look forward to.  It was time to plan a summer vacation. I love research and planning, and the anticipation leading up to the trip. I was so looking forward to an escape from the reality that had been the first half of the year. We decided to go for the gusto, and booked a European vacation for the whole family! 

The problems started before we ever left the ground, with a plane ticket in the wrong name. It continued with a sick child for half of the trip, a stolen cell phone, and more calamities than I can share. It was like we were on a Griswold’s vacation!  The trip I had hoped would be the break I desperately needed was only adding to the overwhelming feelings of stress and frustration.

 At the end of day 2, I found myself balling my eyes out in the bedroom, complaining, “This is not what I had planned!”  I had lost control of the situation and it was destroying any ability to enjoy myself. Something was going to have to change. 

The next day as we explored London,  I found “Joy” everywhere.  It was in big bright lights in a department store, and the label on a candle.  It was even the name of cookies we saw in a grocery store.  I saw it enough that I couldn’t dismiss God’s message.  

I came home from vacation on a mission to find joy again, but it would require me to focus my eyes on Him.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit

We need the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We need to walk in the ways of the Lord. One of my biggest spiritual struggles is self sufficiency.  Living in America, we have so much at our fingertips, that we do not have to rely on our every need to be met by God. This false sense of security causes us to think we can do it on our own.  Often in plenty we don’t cry out to Him to meet our needs the way we do when we are in a place where we have no control over our circumstances. 

Our Joy depends on Rest

God commanded us to have a sabbath.  He gave us a day to rest, because he knew our joy depended on it. Psalms 46:10 tells us to Be still and know that He is God. When we go ninety miles an hour, and never slow down, we don’t have the opportunity to recover and be filled back up.  If we run on empty we have nothing left to give anyone.

God’s presence

You will fill me with joy in your presence. Proverbs 16:20 I had made excuses, and stopped prioritizing spending time in God’s word.  My prayers were more of a laundry list of quick requests, where I did the talking but didn’t sit and wait for any nudging he might place on my heart.  I couldn’t be filled with His love, peace, and joy, because I was too busy ‘running and gunning’ to sit in his presence.

Community

Life is hard.  They say it takes a village to raise a child, and even in the Garden of Eden God created Eve because it was not good for man to be alone.  Joy is found when we live in community.  We need family and friends to encourage us, to bounce ideas off of, and to know we are not alone. 

I have found my joy again, by fixing my eyes on him.  Joy is something that remains even when happiness doesn’t. It is an inner calm that makes life good, despite the circumstances, and a treasure worth finding and clinging to. Our family vacation was challenging, but had my perspective included joy, circumstances couldn’t have shaken it. 

I hope you have Joy my friend, but if you find it lacking today get in His presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring you joy, rest, and find a community where you can find support.