Advice For The Christian Girl

Let Your Joy Be God

In life, we often desire many things. At times we desire to get things sooner than we should. At times we desire to have new experiences, meet new people and receive those blessings.

But I also learned something in life. That everything can have disappointment attached if we aren't careful not to find our fulfilment in those things.

I reflect on my own life, as I grew up I often felt very unsatisfied with my life. I wanted to change many things. I wasn't very grateful for the life I had. I would compare my life wishing my life looked like so or so. I would wish I had a different lifestyle than my current but in a way where I never fully enjoyed whatever I had.

I would always imagine.

My imagination was like a way of escape. I would imagine a better version of everything. That can sound okay but I would get so lost in it that my current life wasn't something I found joy in. There was a always better version of me, a more talented, more gifted, another personality and prettier version of me in my head. That version of me was one made up by myself because I didn't like myself that much.

When I would have friends I imagined a better version. When I would be in primary school I imagined a better high school. If I'm single I'll imagine how it would be to be in a relationship.

But all this constant thinking of what I don't have took away the joy I would feel of just being satisfied where God had me. There is nothing wrong with wanting more but the problem lies when you are so focused on the more that you don't stop to enjoy the right now.

I often wondered why when I desire to get something when I get it I would want something else. It's like I was never satisfied. I realised it's God's way of reminding us that it's only He that makes us satisfied and it's in eternity that all this will go.

Sure you graduate but now you have to go through the pains of finding a job and working hard. Sure you got married but now you have to handle living with someone different from you.
Sure you have kids but now you have to deal with the stress and anxiety of caring for their future and parenting

Every blessing is good and without repentance.

But it will never fully satisfy you. It can disappoint you. It can leave you empty if you sought to be filled by it.

You becoming that great person in future won't fulfil you. If you sought your joy, peace and happiness in it get ready to get disappointed.

Because there is only one source to that.

It's God.

His our peace, joy, guidance, strength and anything else taking that place is bound to play that role badly. It's only God who can calm your weary soul and bring peace to your heart. It's only God who can stay when everyone leaves. It's only God who can fully love and understand you.

Nothing and no one can take that place.

Everything God gives us, even its ministry will have its storms. I look at those storms as reminders that this world isn't where I'll find perfect peace. Every time you argue in a relationship it reminds you only God is the one who fully satisfied you. Every time I work and I get tired it reminds me that His my perfect joy. Every time I get sick and my body is in pain I remember this earth isn't my home.

It's this joy that isn't dependent on circumstances. It's not dependent on whether everything is fine or not. It's not dependent on whether you're single or married. It's not dependent on whether you have a job or not.

You know that God is your everything and in everything you'll have Him. That if His by your side no high or low can take you away from Him. It's that joy that whether everything seems like it's going from glory to glory or from bad to worse that you have God with you.

That His the only one who satisfies you.

You can have joy when you are stressed about life because you know His there. It's not the getting money and people that will give you joy, you'll have a bit of happiness that's true but joy? Joy is something the Holy Spirit brings even if the situation looks contrary.

So ask yourself where are you placing your joy. Is it in certain events or people? I encourage you to make a list of everything that you desire to get in your life then write how it doesn't fulfil you and only God can.

Today, ask God to help you make Him your biggest joy.

Let's be women of joy