How To Choose Joy

Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Yesterday as I was driving home, I couldn’t stop complaining. I wasn’t necessarily talking to myself out loud in my car (although I’ve done that before). But on the inside, my heart was listing off one complaint after the other.

“I don’t understand why this had to happen right now.”

“Why does God’s timing never seem to line up with mine?”

“Could these circumstances get any more discouraging?”

“Is that prayer ever going to get answered or am I wasting my breath?”

“Could this car in front of my drive any slower?”

I rattled them off with ease, pointing out every single thing I could think of that was frustrating me, bothering me, or confusing me at the moment.

But then, as I rounded the next curve (rather slowly thanks to the aforementioned car in front of me), I noticed something. There was an elderly woman on a walker, wearing a red dress, standing in her driveway. A few feet behind her was another woman, presumably her caretaker. I was a little confused at first as to what was going on. But then I got closer, and once I realized what was happening, I couldn’t help but smile.

The elderly woman in the red dress, who was probably in her early 90s if I had to guess, was standing there with the biggest grin on her face and waving to all of the cars passing by. Once it was my turn to drive past her house, I slowed down even more and waved back as the tears began to well up.

What a beautiful picture of what it looks like to choose joy.

That woman in the red dress could have spent her time differently yesterday afternoon. She could have succumbed to the temptation to complain about what she didn’t like about her life (much like I had been doing before I drove by her house). She could have been grumbling about how inconvenient it is to have to walk with a walker. She could have been making a mental list of all of the negative things that come with aging. Or she could have convinced herself that because she isn’t as mobile as she used to be, she might as well just stay in side her house.

But she didn’t seem to be doing any of those things when I drove by. Instead, she chose joy. She chose to focus on what she could do, rather than lament about what she couldn’t do. She chose to get creative and find ways to bless others rather than believing the lie that her ability to make an impact was limited. And she chose to spend her time loving those around her, even with just a simple a wave, rather than focusing on herself. Talk about being a reflection of Jesus.

There are moments in your life, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, that you know you’ll never forget. Yesterday, when the woman in the red dress waved at me, that was one of those moments. She will forever be a reminder of what it looks to choose joy when your heart would rather complain. And I hope she will be a reminder for you as well.

So, are you making a conscious effort to choose joy in the midst of your current circumstances? Or has your heart been more bent towards complaining? If the latter is true for you like it was for me yesterday, let us pray that the Lord would help us to choose joy, to be reminded of what we have to be thankful for rather than to only focus on what we’re waiting for, and to do what we can to share that joy with others, even if that means just offering a wave and a smile.