Rediscovering JoySample

Years ago, author and educator Parker Palmer wrote a powerful book called Let Your Life Speak. In it, he advocates for taking the necessary time to hear the still, small voice you would otherwise not hear. “Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you,” he writes.

How many of us are so long in our faith that we think we know what God is saying to us? Maybe we are so long in our faith that we have stopped believing we can hear what God is saying. On the opposite end of the spectrum, perhaps we are so new in our faith that we don’t know how to know what God is saying to us. 

The bottom line is that more than even our own passions and talents lies a richer and more powerful source of who we are—and that is the Holy Spirit. God is always at work speaking to you if you but listen. 

Ongoing joy—the kind of calm delight that we’ve been talking about—is found in the discovery of who God is and what He is doing in your life. We can only “borrow” joy from another person for so long. Only when we are able to discover God’s purposes and calling for our lives will we find an endless fountain overflowing with the gift of joy that is never dependent on a certain situation or relationship.

What we are talking about is self-awareness—time spent with yourself, seeking the still, small voice of God that dwells in you and is wanting to teach you what your life is saying to you. Self-awareness comes with an awareness of self, and the best way to discover this is to intentionally spend time discovering who you are and what you love. 

Does the idea of spending time on yourself seem decadent? It is anything but that! 

Palmer continues, “Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to true self and give the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.”

In the Book of Philippians, we find joy mentioned 15 times in either the noun form (chara) or the verb form (chairo). Paul focuses on many aspects of joy, but the one that umbrellas them all is that his joy was related to his calling and God’s work in his life. 

So too with us. The more we understand God’s work in our lives and that He has a purpose and a plan for us, the more we will be filled with excitement and delight at the possibilities that lie before us each and every day.

Today, set aside 30 minutes to seek God, asking Him to reveal more of what your life and His Spirit are saying to you. And then ask Him to fill you with joy as you walk in step with Him. 

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” – Psalm 25:4-5

Tomorrow, we wrap up by dwelling in this space of asking God to fill us with His joy!