I like to be happy.
I like to laugh.
I like to smile.
But…
I’m not always smiling.
Because I am not always happy.
Why?
Sometimes I don’t feel very good.
Sometimes I feel like I have a lot on my shoulders.
Sometimes people let me down.
Sometimes I let people down.
Sometimes things don’t go as planned.
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But everyone around me seems happy.
So I feel guilty for my sadness.
I feel guilty for the heaviness.
I feel guilty for not having a smile on my face.
But you know what I am learning…
It’s ok to feel sad.
It’s ok to lose that smile for a bit.
I don’t have to be happy and smiling 24/7.
Theres a time for everything:
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance.
And joy…
Joy is a gift.
Joy is a fruit.
It comes from the Holy Spirit.
I was never called to muster it up on my own.
I was never called to always be happy.
God didn’t call me to a life of constantly staying happy;
He called me to a life of faithfulness.
I was created by Him and for Him.
My utmost job is to give Him glory.
To seek Him. To know Him. To love Him.
When I am doing this and walking in step with His Spirit, the joy and happiness will come.
In Him I find my hope.
In His goodness and love I find my confidence that He is working all the things-
all the hard, the heavy, the messy things-
for my good and His glory.
I find my peace of mind in this.
I don’t have to feel guilty for the times of sadness.
I don’t have to feel guilty for the times theres a lack of happiness.
Happiness…
Joy…
It’s not my goal.
It never was.
He’s the goal.
And when I am aiming for Him, everything else will come.
Amen!!!
Great post! Very true–He is our joy! 🙂
The Holy Spirit spoke the same way to me about Joy this year. I have the same guilty feelings anytime I’m not smiling. I felt like anytime I would be upset or sad I wasn’t doing the right thing. I thought those feelings were bad but in truth those feelings aren’t what is bad it’s how I choose to handle them. Do I react with the fear, guilt, anger and sadness leading me or do I listen to the spirit whispering how to Love through it. My momma would sing to me “Be Not Afraid” when I would get scared of the dark and to this day I’ll sing this song and it reminds me of God’s loving arms open to us. He’s there every step of the way. That truth is a Joy that makes me smile even in times of pain and suffering. I just happened upon your site and you reminded me of myself.
So true! Appreciate the realness. Hope you’re enjoying the rest of your summer!
http://www.ouradventurefamily.com
I love this post so much!! Thanks for the encouragement
Thanks for posting! I really needed that. ?
Great blog post!! I love how straight forward it is! You have a gift for focusing on and delivering the message.
Yes MK!! That’s such a great point-when we have the goal to follow HIM, everything else falls into place! ??
I really needed this. I have been feeling so guilty for not being as happy as I feel like I should be. Thank you for your words of wisdom.
I can really relate to this! Thank you so much for sharing! <3
I have needed to hear this for awhile, thank you. I feel like maybe sometimes we can feel that as Christians we need to be the epitome of joy and happiness. & those feelings are found in him however, we’re humans that have the whole range of emotions that are natural?
I got tears in my eyes reading this… I think one of the greatest things God has been teaching me is that feelings (even the bad ones) are totally okay. There IS a time for everything, and dang, I need to cling to that verse more instead of fear the emotions. Thank you for sharing. Really, we can never get enough reminders of truth.
I got tears in my eyes reading this… I think one of the greatest things God has been teaching me is that feelings (even the bad ones) are totally okay. There IS a time for everything, and dang, I need to cling to that verse more instead of fear the emotions. Thank you for sharing:) Really, we can never get enough reminders of God’s truth.