Live Your Joy Story預覽

## INTRODUCTION Although my name is Joy, it has not always been my experience. Other themes have dominated my life’s story. When I’ve been anxious about a situation, I told myself fearful stories. When filled with regret or self-pity, my mind stayed on a sad story. I’ve even fallen for a few unrealistic expectations and got stuck in a fractured fairytale. Yet, out of His love for us, God has another story in mind. Through faith in Christ, I’ve discovered joy is an invitation to LIVE with sacred delight. It is not a denial of life’s difficulties. Rather, it embraces God’s grace and truth, even when life is hard. Therefore, OUR JOY embodies the unique ways we relish in Christ's redemption. It is an outflow of the full and meaningful life He gives. Of course, our STORY is an ongoing narrative. Yet, even in our joyless moments, joy awaits us. We may long for a comeback story, a love story, or a success story, but permit yourself to believe a joy story is possible. In Christ, we are already found, already loved, and already victorious. Through Him, we can live our joy story today. ## A Joy Beyond Our Happiness Having joy is often equated with having what makes us happy. Being surrounded by the people or things we love, where life feels good, and things go well sounds ideal. Yet, amazingly, the joy Christ gives goes beyond our ideal existence. In Him, there is a grace exploration where our well-being is not held captive by what goes right or wrong in the world. (John 14:27) Certainly, there are seasons of grief and time required to recover from a crisis. This is a vital part of the human experience. However, part of the process of recovering from a tough season is discovering (or rediscovering) what brings us joy. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT). At 19, having joy became significant to me. Mounting college tuition and struggling relationships sapped my strength. A question from my mother threw me a lifeline. She asked, “Where is your faith?” I knew exactly where it was. My faith was stuck under a pile of what went wrong and what could’ve been better. It took God’s strength to lift that pile, and He’s kept me lifted ever since. Where is your faith today? I ask because joy and faith are inexplicably linked. Having faith in Jesus helps us to rejoice in His redemption. Likewise, rejoicing in His redemption maintains our faith in Christ. ## Your Joy Story Is something sapping your strength? Release it to God and receive His joy as He lifts your burden today. ## Prayer Dear God, being happy may be based on what I see or feel. However, following You requires me to walk by faith. I choose to delight in Christ's redemption. Thank You for lifting my burdens and keeping me lifted by Your grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.