“But may the
righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.” (Psalm
68:3)
Sometimes it’s not easy to start your day with a “happy face”; there are days when the moment our feet hit the floor and we get out of bed, things go wrong! And when things go wrong, sometimes we just get “stuck”. But I have always believed that it doesn’t have to be that way; it’s really a mindset, because most times happiness is a choice. Happiness comes from within and is a state of mind, and our attitude when things don’t go as planned is what makes us choose happy rather than hopeless. I have found that my day goes so much better when I begin it with the Lord; a simple “good morning” Lord starts my day in a joyful frame of mind. When I set aside time in my morning to read my bible, inspirational posts and devotionals, and end it in prayer before I focus on the events of the day, I feel more in control and more in line with how I want my day to run its course.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that
they may have and enjoy life, and
have it to the full” (John 10:10)
Unfortunately as our day evolves, there will be times
when we come under attack, and Satan messes with our feelings and attitudes.
That’s his job, to put negative, critical, and judgmental thoughts in our head
and try to rob us of our joy in the Lord.
Suddenly, things are just not working out like we planned, and Satan is
accomplishing what he set out to do. But STOP
(!), there are ways to win this battle that he is trying to create in our life.
Nothing is stronger than God’s Word, and His Word promises us that He will get
us through life’s challenges and difficulties. He intended for us to live a
rich, joy-filled life full of abundance until it overflows!
“Be joyful always, pray continuously; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
We don’t need a special occasion, something new, or an
exciting event to choose happy; most of our days are routine and many of us
take these ordinary and repetitive things for granted. We forget about
embracing the ordinary and find pleasure in life’s everyday circumstances. But
our happiness shouldn’t revolve around new opportunity, fortune or success.
When we make a conscious decision to give thanks in all circumstances we begin
to see the simple and conventional things with a new perspective. Those whose
hearts are alive with faith recognize the blessings in everyday things; they
can be happy for no reason at all! Some days it may be a real task to choose
happy, but we must challenge ourselves to choose joy no matter what is going on
and stick with the promises of God. It’s our choice to live every day with
peace, contentment and joy, and to make lots of room to let Him fill us up with
His eternal grace, peace, love, and joy!
“May the God of hope fill you up with all joy and peace as you trust in
Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13)
Linking up this week on Spiritual Sundays, Unite at Rich Faith Rising, A Sheltering Tree, Upward Not Inward, and Winsome Wednesdays
The power to choose lies within us. I have heard someone say that happiness often depends upon happenings but we can have joy at all times. You always have the neatness pictures to accompany your post where do you find them Denise?
ReplyDeleteOh yes; it lies within us! :) I search long and hard for just my style of pic's...also Pinterest is a great help! :)
DeleteBlessings dear Wanda!
Yes, happiness is a choice. Thank you Denise for this post. Blessings my friend.
ReplyDeleteMany blessings and hugs to you JBR! :)
DeleteWhen my daughter was little we often sent her to her room to find her happy face. One day she came to me and said, "I looked in all my drawers, under the bed, in my shoes--I even looked behind the toilet and there's no happy faces. We found one that day in the oven. I have such a cheerful 20 yr. old and even her college professors mention it. She chooses happy and so do I!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome story Pamela; our joy is so contagious to others and what a blessing we can pass it on to our children! Love this! :)
DeleteAMEN it's not always easy but even when we don't start off on the right foot I know before the end of the day if I take my mind off of what is bothering me and find some good in it, I gotta reason to smile. AMEN
ReplyDeleteHave a bless Monday to you Denise.
Oh yes; starting the day off with a good attitude is key! There is always something to be happy for even if we have to look a little harder! :) Blessings Desiray!
DeleteBeautifully said and so true Denise! Joy really is a choice. I have a bracelet that I had a blog friend make for me that says.."Choose Joy"..so that I would be reminded of this through the day. Especially at work since Satan has really tried attacking me there because we are going through so many changes that have brought about some trials over the past few months. Everyone is stressed and then when you add physical pain to the mix (my knee), it seems even easier to come under Satan's attacks. But... greater is HE that is in us than he that is in the world and that alone makes me joyous!! I'm thankful that God can take us to a special place when we choose to allow HIM to put that smile in our heart, no matter what the circumstance.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a wonderful encourager Denise! Thank you!
♥Lee Ann
Thank you for your sweet comment Lee Ann; you are such a blessing to me! I can certainly relate to stressful times at work; it takes a lot of energy to choose happy sometimes, but the rewards are great! I am prying for your upcoming surgery my friend! Blessings! :)
DeleteSo true Denise! As my husband says...we must WILL ourselves to do the things of God, because it's our human nature to do what comes easiest and that's to walk in the flesh. We must make a conscientious decision everyday to have joy, because no one else can have it for us! Thanks so much for sharing, have a blessed week! :-)
ReplyDeleteSo true; real joy must come from within, and even though we can draw from others happiness, we have to chose to carry it deep witinh us all day! I hope your week is blessed too!
DeleteIt's so easy to give people and life-stuff power over our emotions. We always tried to teach our children that happiness was their choice. When one of my sons was 6, we corrected him and sent him to his room. We heard him in there saying to himself, "I'm GOING to be happy... I'm NOT going to be sad." As a parent, it was a wonderful thing to hear! This is a great reminder that happiness is a moment-by-moment decision. Blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower and look forward to getting to know you!
Hi Mary; thanks for dropping by! I love that; "moment-by moment decision"; it is! What a wonderful memory of your son choosing happy! Blessings to you; I will be visiting soon!
DeleteBeautiful post. And, beautiful artwork.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I enjoyed visiting from the Linky.
Have a Blessed Wednesday,
Sherry
Thanks for stopping by; I will be hopping over to visit you soon! Blessings!
DeleteHi Denise,
ReplyDeleteAs always, a awesome post. You are right, happiness is a choice. We can choose to be happy or let life get the best of us.When we get our focus off of God and onto ourselves, anger, discouragement, etc...easily wins control. Thank you for this encouragement.
Blessings,
Ken
Thank you Ken; you are always such an inspiration! That's the key to remaining with an attitude of joy and thanks; keeping our focus on God! Amen my friend!
DeleteUnless we severely depressed, with God we can choose a better mood or something! Yesterday I could not ( shame ) I work at home on Tuesday (writing a book) and suddenly my daughter came home in the afternoon (from school) She had free/off the whole afternoon. Instead I was happy, I felt very angry. Now I could not write my book. She is 12 and so emphatically present, noisy. But now my mother's heart says: 'choose next time for something other than anger.' I would like to choose a positive attitude :-)And more focus on our Lord. Denise, thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteIt's so true; we are often on our own agenda! But nothing is more special and brings us more happiness than sharing our time with others! Blessings sweet Jedidja!
DeleteMy mom used to always say, "Uh Uh! Don't you let that steal your joy, baby." When I was younger, I would just look at her like she grew a second head. I didn't understand. Feelings have a way of getting in the way... But, when we realize we have a choice and don't have to fall victim to feelings, everything changes. Like Ken said, perspective is key. :) New follower from Winsome Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteFalen
Yup; it may sound a little "pollyanna" but the end result is that when we have this deep down inside joy; we certainly do have a different perspective Falen! Thanks for visiting; dropping by your site soon!
DeleteWell, this post makes me happy. Or should I say I am choosing to be happy with your post which reminds me it is up to me! EIther way, some days the enemy works harder but we can cling still to this reality. Give thanks and when I feel really down...I think the only way to look up is from the foot of the cross. Ya know. SOme days sadness stirs withing but I know He is still holding me by His very own faithfulness, for when I am weak, and weary He is strong and gracious to me. Praise Him! Thanks , Denise!
ReplyDeleteOh yes; how Satan does love to mess with our emotions! But we are not defeated when we beat him down and look to the One who can bring joy in any situation! Thanks for your kind comment Dawn!
DeleteYet another timely reminder that sometimes we have to CHOOSE happiness! Beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteThe choice is ours! Thanks for your comment and stopping by... Blessings! :)
DeleteThe words and picture reminders are something I need to keep in my heart...at ALL times! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAn uplifting post. I needed that on this dreary day.
ReplyDelete