Joy In the Journey
A few weeks ago, My husband and I loaded our two boys in the car to go on an adventure. We headed to a National Park close to our home to go on a hike. We were having a wonderful time until we hit the 2.9-mile mark and realized we were only halfway done. My husband had read the mileage wrong and we still had three miles left to go with 1 hour of daylight left. We instantly began to panic. We had no food, no flashlight, no first aid kit, or any of the essentials you need to survive in a forest during the winter in the dark. We were moving up the hill at a fast pace with a child strapped to each of us. When we got to the top, our oldest son yelled, “We made it!” Oh man, we were so excited to see our car.
As we were truckin up the cliff, I kept thinking “find joy in the journey.” As I kept repeating this in my head, my husband said, “I guess this is the last of our hiking adventures!” My first thought was yes, yes it is.
So often, we allow ourselves to be wrapped up in the giants that try to steal our joy.
Work is not going well.
Your health is not great.
When will we have enough money?
Your marriage is on the rocks.
The event did not go like we planned.
You're struggling with raising your children.
Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
We have to find joy in the journey and part of finding joy comes from within us. Yes, we might have gone on a really long hike in 32-degree weather with no essentials. Yes, our whole bodies might have hurt the whole next week, but I was able to spend the whole afternoon with my favorite boys. I was able to laugh and smile with my family. I was able to experience my oldest son look at a huge cave in complete awe as he said, “wow this is amazing!” I was able to find joy in the journey.
We have a choice to make every day. Are we going to allow our giants to steal our joy, our hope, our happiness? Or are we going to rejoice and find joy every day. So how do we choose joy?
- We look in the mirror every morning and say, “I am choosing joy today.” I am not going to allow the giants to steal my joy. Not everything will work out how I want it to, but I am going to find the joy in every circumstance.
- Realize that many things are out of our control. We can control our response to the situation, but we cannot control the situation. We have God to control the situation, but we have to allow him to take over. So let go and let God. He is equipped to handle everything.
- We have to change our mindset. When faced with a giant, change your knee-jerk reaction and learn to respond differently. Acknowledge the giant, find the joy, and move on. The world is watching how you respond to your circumstances, so show them. Show them you respond with joy and grace. Be an inspiration to them. More than ever, the world needs your inspiration.
“If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.” Carlos Santana
Every day is a gift from God. God intended us to live life abundantly, so do not let the giants of the world steal your joy. Find joy in the journey and live life to the fullest. Remember the world is watching and the world needs more joy.