One Way to Find Joy and Keep It

Last updated on: June 9, 2015 at 9:58 pm by Sean Lowe

One Way to Find Joy and Keep It 2015-06-09T21:58:21-04:00 Sean Lowe

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Isn’t it crazy that in our wealthy, prosperous, abundantly-blessed American lives, we can still struggle with joy?

John Piper has a Daily Devotional he puts out through Bible Gateway, and his post on Friday was about “Fifteen Tactics for Joy.” It’s a great list, but I really resonated with number 9: “Spend time with God-saturated people who help you see God and fight the fight.”

I don’t know about you, but if my mind gets on a joy-less track, it helps to have someone else to help pull me out of it. Sometimes I just need someone to verbally knock some sense into me. “Seriously, Sean, you’re whining that you can’t [fill in the blank], when you have all these blessings from God?” An amazing wife, a nice house, two lovable dogs… How could I ever not have joy?

Other people in my life correct my attitude just by their living example:

A widow in your church who’s seen a lot of hardship in her life but still serves and encourages others. The parents who lost a child but can still manage the words, “God is good.” An ordinary man who works hard every day, provides for his family, and loves his wife faithfully. Sometimes it’s the friend who has an insight into a certain verse that you’d never have thought of yourself. Someone who says they’re praying for you at just the right moment. Or that friend who knows some quirky thing to do to cheer you up.

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