Smile on Purpose: Choose Joy
This Spring our Fame Pastors will be walking us through the power of the fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace... they all have power to transform, upgrade, and save your life. Pastor Julia continues our series....
I recently road tripped to Phoenix, Arizona for a dance convention with a group of little girls. The 7.5 hour trip (that should have taken 5 hrs) was the perfect epitome of life. It was hard! A crazy rainstorm delayed us by 60 minutes. Then fog rolled in and we could barely drive faster than 40mph. One of the little girls in the trip was missing her mom and couldn’t stop crying. Another little girl got car sick and vomited in the car while on the road! It took us 2 hours to figure out how to connect our bluetooth to play music in the borrowed SUV leaving the little voices saying “Are we there yet?” as our song on repeat for way too long. The low point of the road trip happened just when I thought we could take no more. My daughter, Kendall, was thirsty so we needed to empty out the soda cups in the front seat to share water (believe me, this was our only option). On accident, I rolled down all the windows of the SUV and everyone started screaming from the sudden wind. Then the dumping of the soda cup from the front seat window proceeded to spray outside and right back into the car through the open rear seat window. All the girls were now wet from soda. Insert every EMOJI possible.Here is when most adults (meaning me!) get angry and want to yell & scream because we are tired and frustrated. But here is when the little girls started to LAUGH and squeal “It’s raining inside the car!” They chose JOY without even realizing it. Joy is contagious, too. The other mom and I started laughing hearing their response. Sure, it was frustrating! But let’s be real: the soda will wash out of their hair and the sticky parts of the car can be cleaned. When we arrived in Arizona, our dance mom friends asked “How was the drive?” I could have responded: ”HORRIBLE! It took forever!” But instead I smiled on purpose and said, “It was HILARIOUS and I’m so glad we arrived safely.”The scripture from James 1:2-3 comes to mind right away:
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
I think I totally grew in my endurance on that road trip! When we walk & talk with joy, we are showing the world that the Holy Spirit is working in us. And proving that we are capable of growing, maturing, developing, and succeeding! Pastor Tami spoke a message recently where she said that we can do hard things! We can solve problems because the Holy Spirit is in us. That is a reason to smile!We can choose to live with great joy knowing that our Savior has paid the ultimate price for us. And now Jesus left us with the Holy Spirit that can produce joy in us. Joy is also a fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22 (NLT) says: But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control. I have totally embraced the revelation that we can do hard things! So if choosing joy is HARD for you, that’s Ok! We can do it with the Holy Spirit’s help!
- We can be Joyful. (defined as a feeling of lasting pleasure & happiness)*
- We can be Happy. (defined as delighted or glad over a specific reason)*
- We can be Content. (defined as being satisfied with the outcome)*
*definitions from Dictionary.com
Four Ways to Choose Joy Daily:
- Self-Talk when you feel negative. “I can do hard things. I can still be happy. I am finding a way to be joyful and content today.”
- Say positive statements to in conversation with others. If someone asks how your day is going respond positively! “It’s a good day.”
- Start a Thankful List and repeat it out loud. Saying it outloud activates your senses.
- Smile on purpose. Your smile is a public display of an internal reaction. Start to smile and you will start to change how you are feeling. Remember your smile is a muscle that needs to be exercised.
We have mentioned this prayer in the blog before when Martina shared on living in peace. This verse is so good! So my prayer for you is also from Romans 15:13 (NLT) I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.Will you share with us a time that you had to smile on purpose and choose joy? Plus I'd love to pray in agreement with you so share with us any prayer requests.Love & All the Best! Julia Pearson