Filled With Joy

I want to be a person who is joyful, but so often I fall far short of this.  I slide into envy, self pity, comparison, and just plain whining!  I recently have been having foot problems and am wearing a very unattractive and large boot on my left foot for two weeks.  I actually have a history of foot problems due to unusually high arches, but it has just recently really flared up. When everything is going well and I can walk and exercise without too much pain I tend to just take it for granted, but as soon as I can’t do this anymore I become discouraged and ungrateful.  This is NOT who I want to be!  Instead of looking at what I don’t have or what I can’t do, I want to rejoice in what I have and what I can do!  I still can walk!  I can even wear athletic shoes for an hour a day to work out!  I read a wonderful book by Kay Warren called Choose Joy.  This is how she defines joy: “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in all things”. This is the way I want to live my life!  It doesn’t matter if I have a boot on my foot or even if I can’t walk at all!  Joy is a choice and I am determined to choose it!

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