If you are just reading this be sure to also read “Living with Emotions Part 1”, “Living with Emotions Part 2“, “Living with Emotions Part 3“, and “Living with Emotions Part 4“.. As you know the first part was an overview, the second part was all about anger, the third part was on fear and fourth part was on sadness. This is the 5th installment of 6 and it’s on joy. I have waited to the end for Sadness and Joy because throughout the movie “Inside Out”, those were the two biggest emotions that were showcased.
Where do I even start here? It’s common sense that if you are a happy go lucky person overall, you will live a happier life than most people. I will never disagree with that because having joy in your heart, no matter what happens in life, is the way God called us to be. This is way easier said than done though because we all have so many emotions.
Joy is great overall because it makes you see the world in a different light. You watch some people and they see everything through the lens of darkness and their life shows that. How many times do you see people post over and over about bad things happening to them on social media and all of a sudden something happens bad again? It is a never ending cycle. It is a vicious cycle because that kind of thinking will destroy you.
Being happy is not something you do, but a way of life. The more you see the light in every situation, the brighter you become and can see more. It’s the same way with darkness. The more you see that in every situation, the darker your life becomes. This is just the way it is. Your mind is that powerful. You do get what you think about most.
I have watched people that have everything against them and they still stay upbeat. You look at them and say where does their strength come from. It can only come from God because no human can stay that strong through some of the things I have seen.
Balancing joy with the other emotions is important, though. So where can joy go wrong? Sometimes we focus so hard on finding the bright light that we lose track of reality. Sometimes we miss what God is trying to teach us through a dark situation. Sometimes we tell everyone how great life is even though it is crumbling all around us.
Have you seen someone take their own life and question how did that happen because every time you saw them they were always happy? They put up this fake joy so no one knew. When that happens, we can’t help them in their time of need. So they become darker and darker in their situation until they feel they are better off dead instead of alive. This is a very sad place to be. I think if most of us were honest, we have been there before. At least I know I have.
I can look back at my life and there have been several times that I can point to where I considered taking my life. The people around me would have never thought that because I have always been a very happy person around people. They would have been so surprised because I let no one know. I kept all of this hidden. Because of that, I had no one I could talk to about how I felt. Thank God I never ended things. Now I can look back and see that everything has been such a learning experience. I have learned that nothing is as bad as it may seem at the time. When you are in the dark, that part is hard to see.
It’s sad that we can all go to church and put on the front of joy to people even though we are dying on the inside. Isn’t church where you are supposed to get your heart right? Isn’t church the place you should be able to go and tell how you feel so someone can help? It is. But in our society people become judgemental. If you open up to the wrong people then everyone will look at you wrong and think bad of you because you are not strong enough. They will put you down even though they have been called to lift you up.
So because of what some people do, many people will just hide their real feelings thinking they will just go away. I am here to tell you until you get right with God and have people around you that you can lean on, the odds of those feelings going away are close to zero. It isn’t going to happen no matter how much you hide how you feel. In fact, the more you hide how you feel the darker you will feel. You need to find someone whether that is a friend you can trust or a professional who can help you see the light through God’s eyes. Because he loves you and he does want the best for you.
God is ready to change your heart if you are ready to give it to him. He is ready to bring you true joy instead of this mask of joy that you pose to the world. He is ready to take the hurt you have right now away from you.
Ask God to help heal your heart. Ask him to come help you see where joy is positive in your life and where it can hurt you. Ask him to help you feel more than just joy so that you can relate to others. Ask him to help you see how light and darkness work in your life and how to overcome the feeling of being dark. We all have bad feelings from time to time, but it’s up to us to focus on what God wants for us.
The last part of this series will be the wrap-up. This whole series has even helped me see things differently as I am writing. I don’t just write to help you see things differently, but writing soothes my soul. It helps me see things from another point of view sometimes. I am thankful that God has given me the gift to write because I truly love what I am doing.
Living a God-Inspired Life,
Chris Benton
Part 1 of 6
Part 2 of 6
Part 3 of 6
Part 4 of 6
Part 5 of 6
Part 6 of 6