JOYFUL LVING IN TOUGH TIMES

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them sing joyful praises forever.

Spread your protection over them,

that all who love your name may be filled with joy.

PSALM 5:11

Have you ever had an experience where you felt joyful and wise? Maybe you went through a divorce or you lost a loved one and you grew from the pain and developed a new outlook on life. Or maybe you accomplished something like loosing those extra ten pounds or improving your golf swing. For awhile you felt in the flow of life. Connected. As if everything was going to be all right forever. Then something came along that left you feeling out of balance.

Why does this happen? How can we feel so connected to everyone and everything one moment and equally disconnected the next? And what can we do when this occurs? How can we get back into the flow, and how can we be OK when regaining our happiness takes longer than we want?

Perhaps the answer is following the strategies of people who stay joyful most of the time. I have noticed that joyful people share strategies that enable them to navigate life with a positive attitude. Through experience, they have come to the realization that opportunities as well as emotions cycle through ups and downs. During hard times this awareness gives them the faith that "this too shall pass." Because they recognize the preciousness of the good times, rarely do they worry obsessively or lament the past. Instead, they keep their focus on moving through life with a sense of joy and wonder.

One of the most valuable techniques is not buying into the belief that our problems are special or only unique to us. While the thoughts "This will never get better" or "I can not survive" or "Nobody understands what I am going through" can run though our minds, joyful people don't allow this thought pattern to consume them. They prefer to step back and evaluate the problem.

Simply put, joyful people rely on God, instead of themselves or their problems.

Blessings,

Jody