HAPPY

The Bible says that "The joy of the Lord is our strength". I love how it also says that "He will renew our strength like the eagles".

Let's think about the first verse first. I love how there is no time line on this verse. It doesn't say that when everything is great that He is our strength or even when everything is bad for that matter. I have learned that it is really not a challenge to be happy or to stay happy when everything is going your way.

When the kids awake in joyful dispositions, the house is in order, everything in general going your way. That is not hard to be happy. I have been so working on just being happy.

Just where I am. Not where I am going, or where I will be. BUT WHERE I AM.

Some days it is as though you are just going about your business and then BAM it hits somebody trying to take your peace. Be it a critical statement, a slow checker, or kids spilling a whole glass of orange juice on the nice carpet.

It is in those times that true character is tested I believe. What do you do when adversity heads your way. Do you put on a smile and go charging right back at it or do you let your feelings take over.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks is what the Bible says. When pressure is on you what is coming out? For me I never have a curse word come out, but I am trying so hard for peace to come out of me at all times. To not let my circumstances control how I will feel.

We can't be circumstantially happy. If we live our life this way then it will always be a roller coaster. This is not the way I want to be that is for sure. I want to be the same in crisis as I am in celebration.

Peaceful.

The second verse says that "He will renew our strength as the eagles. This means that God new that adversity would come our way. He knew there would be things that would come in and take away our joy which is also refered to as our strength.

When you don't have joy it makes doing the simplest of things so hard. God made us to enjoy our life. When I am full of joy I can clean toilets and be happy. When my joy is gone I can't even do the things I love with a smile.....

Why? Joy is our strength. God is the only true source of joy. That is why He says HE will renew our strength (joy). Everything else that makes you happy be it good news, a happy surprise or anything else is just temporary.

So what do you do to keep joyful you might ask me. Well it is easy. For me today I was happy this morning and BAM all of a sudden I could feel my joy being ripped from my finger tips. I got away for a moment and just put on a good praise song and worshiped God for a moment.....just like that I had my peace back.....Joy was back in my life.

Even as I type things there are things going on that are trying to steal my peace. Kids knocking over fans, fighting, making messes. To keep your peace is a choice that you and you alone can truly make.