BY SHILA ANDERSON
Today I cleaned the house. I’d say that I hate to clean, but that’s not a nice word. What I will say is that I immensely despise cleaning. Since company was coming over, I actually had to do a good cleaning, not just my daily surface cleaning. It seemed like every dog hair that I swept up, every dirty sock that I found under the bed, and every toilet I scrubbed, my mood just got more and more sour.
Why do we have two dogs? Why does my daughter like to make slime? Why is my office such a mess? (I can only blame myself for that one). Why do I not have a cleaning person do this for me? Ugh. I was afraid my family would come home to a clean house and a crabby momma.
Then I remembered that I had just spoken at our conference about joy. How soon I forget. I needed a reminder of what I told people to do when they lose their joy. That teaching wasn’t just for the ladies, it was for me too. We need to start with the Word of God. What does the Bible say about joy? The Bible tells us to always be full of joy.
Always be joyful. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16
So, what do we do when things happen that make us lose our joy? First of all, we need to be thankful and count our blessings. You know what, I’m blessed that I have a home I can clean. I’m thankful for my two dogs. They may shed, but they are so cuddly and are always happy to see me. I’m thankful that we have enough clothes to wear, which is evident by our piles of laundry. I’m thankful that my son made the school soccer team. I’m sure his dirty soccer socks were "accidentally" kicked under the bed. We have so much to be thankful for. We just need to focus on the positive, not the negative.
Second, we need to do things that make us happy. We can sing. We can dance. We can laugh. I put on some upbeat praise music and as I scrubbed, I sang. As I vacuumed, I danced. By doing something that made me happy, I turned my frown upside-down.
Ladies, it’s so easy to be negative. It unfortunately comes naturally. But when you feel like you are losing your joy, make the conscious effort to fill yourself back up with the joy of the Lord. Praise God for who He is and what He has done for you. Remind yourself that Jesus died for you.
My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you – I whom you have delivered. – Psalm 71:23
Remember that you are an overcomer. Find scriptures that speak to you. No matter what we are going through, we can be filled with the joy of the Lord. It’s up to us if we are happy or unhappy. We are in this together. Make a daily declaration with me that, “Today I choose joy.”
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. – Romans 15:13