Choose Joy by Kay WarrenSample

Day One

A Joy You Can Count On

Have you wondered why some people seem to experience deep and authentic joy in their daily lives—even in the toughest times—and others can’t seem to find it no matter how hard they search? Many of us eventually give up the pursuit, assuming we were unfortunate enough to have been standing on the wrong side of the door when God was handing out joy. 

Even though it may not feel that way to you at this moment, joy is available to you. As I’ve discovered in my own life, joy is not about your circumstances or about how you feel. It is definitely not about living in denial and ignoring sorrow or pain. Joy is something much deeper, richer, more stable, and more accessible than you might have thought. 

I have to tell you, joy does not come easily to me; I’m definitely more of a glass-half-empty kind of gal. In fact, I’ve struggled with low-level depression as far back as I can remember. So I’m not talking to you about joy from the perspective of one of those deliriously happy, peppy people who never have a down day. Some days I’m thrilled just to survive! 

But I’ve learned that joy is much more than external things. It’s much more than that happy, giddy feeling that may come every once in a while. The joy that God speaks of in his Word is something you can count on. 

That’s the beauty of the joy God offers. You no longer need to live in fear or worry, because God’s joy will always be available to you. In this world you will have trouble, Jesus says in John 16. But you can still take heart. You can still receive joy. You are not dependent on anyone or anything other than God and yourself to know joy.

In other words, you, my friend, are in charge. The sooner you embrace this pivotal reality, the sooner you can begin to live a more joyful life. 

Father, I want to choose joy in my life. Rekindle hope in my heart. Help me to keep seeking the joy that belongs to me in Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus, amen.