Pause: A Month of Joy in Five Minutes a DaySample

Proclaim

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” (Phil. 4:4-5)

Prompt

I learned a lesson about joy from a friend of mine as she went through some really hard challenges with her immediate family. I watched as her family hurt her over and over, and I watched as she stood her ground.

No matter what was thrown her way, my friend bounced back every day and chose joy.

When her parents or siblings ignored her, spited her, or purposefully hurt her, my friend chose joy.

I couldn’t really comprehend the way she was able to pull it off and still seem grounded in reality. So I asked her about it and she told me she’d developed her “joy muscle.” Choosing joy over and over again in all the little things in her life had developed her joy muscles for the times that required heavy lifting.

Start developing your joy muscles and you’ll also develop a muscle memory that will make joy a reflex. What a way to live!

Prod

How can you choose joy in a small thing today? Maybe at work? Home? A mundane task? A tough conversation?

Write down a moment today that you anticipate will be TOUGH to find JOY-FULL.

Make a commitment NOW to choose joy in this moment and any others like it.

Praise

Listen to “Who You Say I Am” by Hillsong Worship

Pray

Jesus, thank you for this [NAME A SMALL THING] in my life. This moment, this person, this task, this experience… God, you know I struggle with this, but when I choose to give it to you FIRST, then I can find joy in it! So God, please prepare me now to do the heavy lifting of choosing JOY in the tough moment I know I am going to experience today. I am working to change my thinking, change my reactions, change my heart. But I need your help to do so. Thank you for having my back! Amen.