What Brings You Joy?

It just so happens, that on the day Holley chose this topic, I was celebrating my 46th birthday. In the midst of eating cake, Lindor truffles, and opening up cards & gifts; I began asking myself the question....."What exactly are the things that bring me joy?"
Being since the day marked the occasion that it did, I needed only to look around me to fully see and appreciate many of the things that bring me the greatest amount of joy in this life.
Truth be told, many of the "things" I am speaking about are not things at all… They are in fact, people. The people who make up the best part of each and every day of my life.
Reading their words of love that they sent via text, Facebook posts, phone calls, and private messages… Caused me to realize afresh that I am deeply loved and greatly cared for by many.
This day was not only a celebration of the beginning of a new year of life, joy, hope, and expectation….It was an opportunity for me to savor all of my blessings…… And to recognize, that no matter how often I blow it, mess up, or fail; there are those whom God has graciously placed in my life who love me despite all of my flaws and weaknesses. And that, caused a wellspring of joy to bubble up within me.
Another of my greatest sources of joy is doing exactly what I am doing now…… Sharing my heart and gifts with the hope of encouraging and building up all those who will have the chance to read this blog.
I cannot tell you what it has meant to me to be part of the "Coffee For Your Heart 2014 Encouragement Challenge...." Via this great collective effort of women joining together sharing their voices, gifts, and talents; I have been encouraged not only to share my gifts, but to prayerfully inspire others to share their God-given gifts also. For me, there is nothing more exciting than seeking the face of our Father and asking Him to manifest Himself in and through the talents He has entrusted to me in order that His Daughters might be led to press in, press on, and seek to know and follow His plan for their lives too.....
Lastly, but certainly not least, is the joy I experience from knowing Christ as not only my Lord and Savior, but from knowing Him as my closest and dearest friend. It is because of Him that everything else I previously mentioned has any existence or even makes any sense.
Truly, the most marvelous thing about knowing Him is my being able to rest in the certainty that if none of those other things existed, or somehow ceased to exist; my joy in Him could still be complete because He is enough…… In Him is joy everlasting, joy complete, the fullness of joy, and where all joy originates……
The Word of God tells us that "The joy of The Lord is our strength...." In the book of Nehemiah, Ezra the scribe and priest, along with The Levites, told the people in chapter 8, verse 10, to cease their mourning over their failure to uphold the instruction of the law; and to begin rejoicing because the day they were celebrating was a holy day and cause for celebration. They were reminded on that day, as we should be every day, that security comes from Yahweh alone.
I am not certain of the circumstances of your life, but this I do know…… "Joy" is a little word with huge implications.... It serves us far better than happiness, which is fleeting and circumstantial at best.…… Because joy runs deep and springs eternal. Just like The God who provides it, it is a sure resource for the weary, a refuge for the hopeless, renewal for the tired, and a respite for those who mourn.
So let me ask you, Sis…… "What brings you joy?" When was the last time you really thought about it? I'm not much of a betting gal, but I am willing to bet that if you spend a little time today, just like I did last week, pondering over this vital question; you'll find that you have a lot more to be joyful for than perhaps you even think.....
Based on Nehemiah 8:10-12 and John 15:11


For more encouragement and discussion on what brings you joy don't forget to head on over to http://holleygerth.com/ to link up with the other gals and myself.
Also, be sure to join me Monday morning, February 24 at 10 AM EST on Life On The Grow blog talk radio as I'll be chatting about "How to Experience More Joy in Your Life…"