Joy

Joy that comes from the Lord. Is this what I have? I think so....

I've been thinking lately about my general feelings about life and things....in general. And I generally feel good. I can't say that I'm happy all the time, although I am frequently happy. But my life is crazy, and there are problems and tough situations that I have to deal with like anyone else. And I have a lot of questions and spend a lot of my time feeling confused if I think about them too much, like most people, I'm sure. But even in moments like those when I am far from happiness, I feel this inner contentment, reassurance. Sometimes it's not as noticeable. I have to remind myself to take my eyes off the current situation and realize that's not all there is. And then I think, "Right. What I'm currently dealing with is tough, and no one's expecting me to be bubbly happy, but there is so much more than this." And once I shift my focus, the joy comes in.

As I've heard and as experience has shown me, life has rotations of seasons, much like the physical world. I feel like I'm in a good season of life right now. And so these joyful feelings may be easier to latch onto because of that. But I pray that I can hold onto the joy. And if it's truly the joy of the Lord, then it goes beyond just surface things, so even if I'm experiencing a terrible "winter," that joy is still there to be found. And I suppose that during those times is when that joy is most noticeable, because there's a severe lack of circumstantial happiness to cloud your judgment.

Just my musings, as usual. I'm still searching and learning.