Joy.

God has been teaching me about joy. I've been wanting to carry more joyfulness in my life, and I think one way to do that is to just be thankful for everything. We take so much for granted. Oddly enough, I'm thinking about thankfulness not because Thanksgiving will be here soon. That just seems to be a coincidence... or God's perfect timing. However you want to look at it... :)

It's amazing the difference you can feel when you simply decide to be happy. It's easy to do when life is good but it is certainly not always good... but choosing it anyways is when it really matters. Philippians is one of my favorite books in the Bible and it has loads of references to joy and how to be joyful through thick and thin. Philippians 4:4-7 are commonly quoted verses, but as with any commonly read scripture, if you read it over and over again and put the emphasis on different words and ask yourself different questions about what it's saying, you will be amazed at the new things God may reveal to you. So here it is:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Bam. Read it again.

The other day I was able to go to the Passion World Tour here in Vancouver with Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band (YAY!!), and Louie Giglio. David Crowder is one of my all time favorites and the song "You Are My Joy" is non-stop running through my head and is very fitting for what this post is about and what God is teaching me these days: