James 1:2-4 – “2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Joy is more than a feeling, it’s a mindset. It is a clear command from scripture to find joy in all things. While, in today’s culture, we can seem to think that everything is about being “happy”. The problem with that sentiment is when we face the hard things in life. What happens? We feel robbed of this happiness, and if your spouse did something to offend you, you end up blaming them for stealing something from you.
Instead, our culture should be concerned with changing our mindset. In fact, joy is different than happiness. Joy takes hardship in stride, knowing the outcome will come out for our ultimate good and God’s glory. Of course, it would be foolish to believe that everything works out for our definition of good (i.e. riches, power, health, long life) but when we place our trust in God, he has our ultimate good in mind (sometimes revealed to us in Heaven. After all, it was Paul the apostle who wrote in Phillipians 1:20-23 that we have nothing to fear. He writes “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Realize that your inner joy is a choice you consciously make each and every day. It is a choice that no man or power on Earth can take from you when you place your faith in God.
Talk with your spouse about ways in which you can choose joy instead of envy, complaining, second-guessing, or selfishness. Transform your life, relationships, and marriage by working to make the mental shift to “Count it all Joy” each and every day.
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