The last couple of years have been terrible for everyone. At least that’s the way it seems. Covid-19 lockdown snowballed into more struggles, more uncertainty and more pain. I didn’t realize how universal these feelings were until I heard person after person wishing for 2023 to be a better year. I hope you don’t fall into this category, but we all know sooner or later, we will have trouble (John 16:33). Maybe we need a joy ride.
People often associate the term joy ride (sometimes spelled as a single word) with stealing a car. But it simply means a ride for enjoyment. And I, for one, need more enjoyment in my life.
Last year was a little better for me than the two years prior, but I still found myself saying the following to my mom and sister: “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel true joy again.” I almost couldn’t believe it came out of my mouth. Full disclosure: I realized a short time later that I needed a change in my anti-depressant and, as a result of that change, am feeling much better now. But the reality is that I spent two years in sadness, grief and despair. Medication or not, God has had to teach me anew to trust Him. Hear me say that the lack of trust, of course, had nothing to do with His actions or who He is. I allowed my circumstances to skew my view of a God who never changes.
Which Leads Us to Now…
In the midst of that conversation with my loved ones, I knew “joy” needed to be my One Word focus for 2023. I have put in a lot of work the last few years and I think God wants me to lighten up. I know the Bible says we, in Christ, have joy no matter the circumstances. James even said trials and the testing of our faith are counted as joy (James 1:2-3)! For crying out loud! But if I’m honest, joy is not exactly what I’ve been feeling.
Now I know feelings and truth don’t always line up, but I want to manifest the truth of supernatural joy in my life. In plain speak, I’m tired of feeling burdened and sad. I want to overflow with the joy that comes from knowing Jesus and walking daily with Him. So I choose joy. Not just for the moment, but for the year. I plan on digging into what scripture has to say about it and exploring the things in my life that hold me back from its fullness.
Psalm 16:11 is my verse for the year.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” ESV
If this resonated with you at all, I hope you will come on this journey (or ride, if you will) with me for 2023. As I learn, maybe you will, too. And please share your experiences with joy and the things you know about it in the comments. I hope we encourage each other to soak up those pleasures forevermore.
Bonus: I’m sharing the screen saver I made for my phone!
And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!
Joanne Viola gave a beautifully simple explanation of the gospel in Receive. Thank you for linking up, Joanne!
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Joy Ride! Yes, this sounds like a wonderful way to live, Lauren. And you’re right … some of us need well-managed meds to keep our brains healthy. Sounds like you’re in a good place, girl …
With God’s help I keep praying so!
Joy was my word one year, but I didn’t think about putting it with Ride. But I think we all need a joy ride after many overwhelming circumstances! May God bring you such joy as only He can give as you navigate through this year. I had to choose two words this year, because I think they go together well – abide (as abide in Christ) and savor, to savor the moments of my days. Blessings to you, Lauren! I’m a neighbor at Lisa’s linkup.
Thank you for your prayer, Gayl. And I agree that abide and savor work very well together. Praying you grow closer to him as you learn about your words!
Lauren,
Count me in! I’ve been struggling to have the joy He promises, too. My word this year is “revive[d]”. May our God revive us and those around us with His supernatural joy to His glory!
That’s a great word! Praying for you to be revived, my friend.
Amen to having more joy in our lives! I’m ready for that too, Lauren. I love that you’ve chosen this as your One Word of the year.
Me too! Thanks, Lisa.
Thank you for sharing your difficult journey and how you are now focusing on joy!
I love the idea of choosing a scripture verse for the year and creating a screen saver. I’m going to use both these ideas. Thank you!
So glad to give you some ideas for you, Corinne! I am saying a prayer for you in this right now.
Lauren, one thing that helped me years ago to find joy was to keep a joy journal… not a gratitude journal of simply listing gifts, but writing at length about where I could appreciate life, people, and circumstances, and noting this and how it is wrong to grumble (I was a woebegone Israelite ala their grumbling depicted in Numbers). I can’t begin to tell you what a difference this made. At first, it was imperceptible. But the more I noted, the more I found it, or perhaps the more I looked for it. There is ALWAYS something about which to “take joy.” My 92 y/o mother often quotes author Robert Louis Stevenson’s observation: “The world is so full of a number of things. I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.” I’d encourage you to look for your “number of things” in your own joy journey this year!
Love
Lynn
I love the idea of a joy journal. I am going to pray about whether or not God would like this to be a part of my time with him this year. Thanks for sharing, Lynn!