Growing Up Joy

Joy comes from God, but it is my responsibility to nurture it. That seed has to be tended regularly. It has to be weeded consistently. It has to be fed daily. Joy will only grow in my life when I make the investment. I must make that investment because the Joy of the Lord is my strength and without strength, I will never stand against the storms.

Consistency and I have not always been good friends and there was even a time when it was an enemy. I defied consistency because I related it to being put in a box. If I did everything in the same way at the same time then I was locked in a box and not walking boldly in my uniqueness.

It has taken some growth and change of focus to understand that my consistency and your consistency may not ever match up. Consistency is not box living but instead it is focused living.

I still struggle with consistency some days – because I now recognize that consistent living requires sacrifice of self (and I am not always happy about that). I understand that consistency is necessary, but there are days when I do it begrudgingly – and for the record, doing it with an attitude is sometimes just as bad as not doing it at all. My journey is as much a heart issue as it is anything.

Seeking to grow up JOY for my life means that I invest in the seed God planted and that I do it with determined consistency.

Joy grows up more in my life when I nurture that God giving JOY. Choosing to smile, to dance, to read the Word, to walk away from the negative, and to pray and have active conversations with God. The stronger JOY grows up in me the bolder I become in my stand against the world.

My job is to invest in the gift that God has given me – it really is that simple.

Be blessed,

How do you grow up JOY? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below or let the idea of growing JOY ignite your own story and link back to that story here.