At one stage in my life - finding joy was akin to the title of one of my favourite movies - Finding Nemo - which is about a father who loses his son and spends the rest of the movie looking for him. However, unlike the father in the story which ended with a glorious reunion and happy ending - my quest for joy remained elusive ;-) That is until now.
As I have written before, I have a friend who only had one New Year's resolution in 2010/2011 and that was to be happy. I thought that was brilliant and so simple. I realised that it wasn't going to be easy, and I know that she works very hard to achieve it - but it has remained an example to me to this day. I can truly say now that I am a happy woman because I have found joy. So for my friends and all of my three followers ;-) how did it happen or how can we find joy?
1) To find joy - find yourself
When you are looking for something external to yourself - it is probably a good idea to understand and know yourself first. I remember receiving this counsel from a wise leader of mine who, as a newly married person, when I finished telling him all the things that were going wrong including my husband - gave me some advice that I never really understood until now - and counselled me to look internally in the first instance. I was actually taken a back when he said this to me - like I was saying "I beg your pardon?? Did you not hear me - it's not me - I don't have the problem - everyone else and everything else is a problem" - hilarious now when I think of it but it is soooo true. Know yourself first. If you want to find joy - look inside and find yourself first.
2) To find joy - appreciate the small things
Now more than ever - I appreciate everything I have and it is the insignificant things that bring me the most joy. I was coming home one day from picking the boys up from school and my almost 17 year son was talking to me about his day and then he proceeded to talk to his brother about a race they had been in and about their mates and whatever else they were talking about and I felt joy. I realised then what my mother used to feel when we would visit with her and sometimes just sit and be 'present'. It would make he sooo happy... its the small things!
3) To find joy - be prepared
Get everything in your life in order because when joy comes its an emotion that can be all encompassing. I know it sounds 'fluffy speak' but you need to make room in your life for something like joy to fit. It can't be squeezed in somewhere small and confined because you will find that when it does reside with you - other emotions come with it like genuine love. I don't know how it works but I can't have joy without this deep sense of peace and love..... so be prepared to accomodate joy - it needs a lot of room ;-)
4) To find joy - look harder
Although I had been brought up with the saying "every cloud has a silver lining", I didn't realise that it had a hidden priviso that you actually had to look for the lining ;-) I didn't know that the silver lining only revealed itself not only after it had started pouring on you without an umbrella - but after taking 1/2 an hour to straighten your hair!! :-) So, just like the silver lining of a cloud - don't expect joy to come and greet you as soon as you hop out of bed..... and in fact, if you don't see it when you get out of bed - look harder. For starters, you and I have a bed and we have shelter over our heads (sure it may be in disrepair ;-) - but shelter nonetheless ;-)) so again, if joy doesn't greet you - look harder.
5) Putting joy into the journey
I am grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for the lessons that I have learnt over the last twelve months. I'm obviously not the brightest - because it actually took me losing everything that I had (success, job, status, 'things' and money), to gain everything I actually need (joy, love, peace, family, true friends, a stronger relationship with God). As I have healed, all the other 'stuff' I had on board has turned into good things which have left me feeling more 'whole' and its got a lot to do with what I have found along my journey, of which the pursuit of, and finding joy has been massive.... Don't get me wrong, its not all rosey and hunky dory and in fact, I'm going to have to draw on my own words as I'm about to put this to the test again.... But, one thing is for sure - this time I am going to put joy in every journey...
Good luck with you and hope that you find joy in whatever you do.
Yours in friendship,
Mxo
