Count It All Joy!

Ever seen a baby that was laughing and so full of joy, that you were just magnetically drawn to him / her? You may have remarked, "What a joyful baby!" Of course they are, they have no worries, no concerns, all their needs are met, and they just live in their own world of comfort and pleasure.

So do you exude joy so much that people are drawn to you? Joy is NOT happiness. Happiness is typically what we receive or see in the world around us -- what's going on outside us -- when skies are blue and birds are singing and bills are paid and relationships are fine and we're all healthy and strong. But, JOY comes from deep within, and we have it in spite of gray skies and tough circumstances.

James 1:2 says: "My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various trials....", REALLY? Count the trials for joy??? As we mentally shift from the “woe is me syndrome” into the “count it all as joy mentality,” then our inner joy will be released from the inside to the outside. Our actions will mimic our thoughts.

Psalms 28:7 says: "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for JOY, and with my song, I praise Him."

Yes, like that sweet baby, knowing that our God IS our strength, we can trust in Him, and our hearts will leap for joy and our outside will radiate what's on the inside. After all, we know our Father has it ALL under control. Indeed, we can be JOY-FULL and FULL of JOY!!!!