Receive the Joy

"If there's nothing worth dying for, there's nothing worth living for." 


For some, they might say their friends or family are reason enough to live, for others it would be their possessions they've worked so hard for, and for others it might just be that as long as they've had fun, they'd die happy. The thing is that "happiness" is solely an emotion.  Emotions change based on circumstances, at any moment in the day.  Most importantly, emotions are not eternal.  
If you asked me a few months ago, I would have said that once I got a teaching job, I'd be eternally happy - and now I have proof that it just isn't so.  It doesn't work like that.  I got my teaching job, and I was left unfulfilled.  I worked and I felt like a grown up, tried to have fun on the side.  At times I was happy, others I was stressed, other times just dead exhausted, or angry, or sad.   
Now some people might say that I've changed ever since I started going to Generations Church.  They're right, but my church isn't what changed me.  I had an encounter with Jesus and HE is who changed me.  I see things through different eyes - I've realized that I can't see things as the world does.  I can go to church, but this isn't what makes the difference in my life, being committed to God is.  I've made a huge leap and am learning how to surrender myself 100%.  
I can honestly say now that I still do experience emotions just like any other person, but I have something even better than happiness.  I have joy.  Joy is eternal.  Joy can go through all crisis.  When a typically stressful, overwhelming, scary, or saddening situation occurs during my day, I have to deal with my feelings, but it's not the roller coaster I used to ride on.  Despite anything that happens to me throughout my day, I have a comfort in me... I have true joy.  God's blessed me, and not because I'm even remotely perfect, but because he knows that I've put all my trust and faith in him.  That he could change anything around in my life, and it wouldn't matter because I have an abundance of him in my life.


The truth is that God doesn't ask us for anything.  He doesn't want or need anything from us.  All he wants is for us to be faithful.  This doesn't make us weak.  Faith isn't just something that works for a certain kind of person.  Having faith in God is for everyone... "what is life without the Life Giver?" Receive your true joy :) 


*Thank you Esmerelda for receiving this message in Colombia and bringing it back for me!