Choosing Joy: A Daily Decision That Changes Everything

Scripture:

“This is the day that the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it” Psalm 118:24 KJV

Psalm 118 declares that everyday is made by the Lord. With that truth comes our choice in how we want to live each day.

We can rejoice in the fact that God has made each day new and it’s a brand new start for us to make our day great.

Rejoicing in the day and bringing joy into our day is acknowledging God’s sovergnty even when our days don’t go exactly as we had planned.

We will have those days full of frustration, disappointment and exhaustion. It will seem that everything that can go wrong does. We have to decide that those things will not have the final word over our day.

How can we choose joy and rejoice in the day when things are going wrong? Joy says, “I trust that God is present and working, even if I don’t see anything yet. We have to look at the circumstance and say, the Lord is working for my best outcome today.

We need to believe that God is working things out for our good. Think about it. You’re trying to get home from work the traffic is bad, you finally get out of traffic to wind up behind someone joy riding slowing you down. You can get flustrated or you can just rejoice in knowing God sees everything and is working things out for your good. Who knows if you weren’t delayed a few minutes you could have been in a wreck God was protecting you.

We learn to rejoice and live out of a joyful life by being faithful in the very small things. Each morning offers a new opportunity to align your heart with God’s truth. When you choose joy you aren’t living through rose colored glasses you are declaring that God is good. Joy grows one day at a time. We learn to choose joy in small ways at first. How we talk to ourself, what we dwell on, how we handle our emotions when things don’t go as planned. All these choices we make shape the posture of our hearts.

Choosing joy over anger or hostility is so much better for our well being. Over time it forms a lifestyle rooted in trust in the fact God has everything in his control and we are going to be ok.

Joy grows every time we choose it. Instead of letting your emotions get the best of you, choose to trust God and allow joy to fill your day.

Reflection

What usually shapes your mood at the start of your day? What would happen if you choose joy at the beginning of your day and allow joy to shape your day.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for today. Help me choose joy when I just want to scream and fuss. Guide my thoughts and my heart so that joy becomes second nature instead of stress and strife. Amen.

Joy Practice

Before you begin your day pause and say, ” Today I choose Joy.” Keep that with you as you move through your day.