Daily Delight

The transition from fall to winter is always difficult for me. The weather is getting colder, and the days are shorter. The sun is just starting to come up when I’m leaving for work, and it’s already mostly down by the time I drive home. It’s hard to not get stuck in the winter “blahs.” I’m even less motivated to exercise, eat healthy, and otherwise take care of myself. 

Maybe you’re in your own season of transition that has nothing to do with the weather. Are you feeling the “blahs” through a life decision or a new chapter? I think it happens to most of us. The doldrums of self-pity are hard to escape when your stability is shaken. 

Nehemiah 8:10 charges us to “not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is our strength.” We often say that God is love. It’s not something He shows or something He does, He defines love. Similarly, God is also joy. The fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23 come from the Spirit of God Himself. They are the essence of God revealed in us. To find God is to find joy.

Joy is not happiness. It inspires happiness. Joy is internal, happiness is external. Joy is knowing who you are and where you are and being completely at peace with it. The joy that comes from the Father is complete. It will give strength. It will be a contagious, unstoppable force that can’t be stifled by shifting seasons. 

The opposite of joy is bitterness. It can sprout from the feeling that we lack something or that we deserve a different outcome. Instead of identifying with God’s Spirit, we identify with our flesh, seeking fulfillment in temporary things which ultimately will fail us anyway. 

What if we changed our focus and delighted in the Spirit as He delights in us? How could that change our approach to hardships or even everyday irritations?

I want to understand the fullness of this joy (John 15:11). I want to stomp out the “blahs” for good, no matter what season I’m in. 

Let’s choose to constantly embrace the joy of the Lord and allow it to strengthen us.

Photo: @dreacoci