Be A Joy-carrier!

The fruit of the Spirit is...joy.
Galatians 5:22

Most of us are far too serious for our own good. We're uptight about everything: being five minutes late, getting stuck in traffic, waiting in line, somebody giving us a wrong look, overcooking a meal, gaining a pound, discovering a wrinkle, making an honest mistake; you name it - we lose all perspective!

The problem is, we have unrealistic (and unscriptural) expectations. God didn't say He'd take us out of our troubles; He said He'd bring us through them and make us stronger.

If you want to experience the joy Jesus promised, do two things:
(1) Admit that your uptightness is largely because of the way you've decided life should be.
(2) Understand that your expectations are causing most of your frustrations. If you keep expecting things to be a certain way and they aren't, you'll always be upset.

Here's an idea: try approaching each day without all those expectations. For example, don't require everybody to be friendly; then when some are you'll be delighted. Don'texpect your day to be trouble-free; instead when problems come, say:"Thank you Lord for a chance to grow in grace." Do it, and you'll seehow much better everything is. Rather than fighting against life you'll be flowing with it. And pretty soon, if you work at it, you'll enjoyyour life more - and other people will enjoy being around you much moretoo! That's why Paul wrote, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ).