In Search of Joy

by Leigh Ann Napier, iBloom Associate

If you are a Christian, you have every reason to be joyful…even in the midst of pain, turmoil, uncertainty, and yes, of course, when life is going smoothly. If you aren’t feeling the joy, then it is time to go searching for it.

Just like our car keys, the “other” sock, our car in a parking lot, and any item we could possibly be searching for in our purse, JOY can become lost. Here are some ways to help you re-locate your joy. Now as for your car keys and your matchless socks, I’m afraid you’re on your own.

First, there is a connection between our level of awareness of what we have been given and the level of joy we experience. When we are aware of all we’ve been given and how little we deserve any of it, we are more excited, grateful, and aware of all that is good in our lives. So in essence our joy meter is directly connected to our grace meter. When we know we have received much grace, we will then, as a by-product, experience great joy.

Acronym for GRACE: Glorious Riches At Christ’s Expense

You see none of us deserve the gift of salvation that God has given us. We deserve to be separated from God. We deserve to reap the consequences of our sin. But Christ gave his life for us, before we ever accepted Him, so that we may have eternal life with Him in paradise. I don’t know about you but that gets me excited! That reminds me of all that I have to be thrilled about. That brings joy to my life.

So, if your joy has been misplaced, if you just aren’t feeling the joy, how can you find it again? In Galations 5:22, Joy is labeled as a fruit of the Spirit. We are promised in John 15:5 that when we abide in Christ we will bear much fruit. He is the vine and we are the branches. So to me, that says that if we aren’t producing fruit, we are not holding tight enough to the vine. The vine isn’t the problem; it is our connection to it. We need to improve our connection.

Jesus wants us to have joy. John 15:11

Even in the worst-case-scenarios of life. 1Peter 1:6-8

Yes, I’m talking to you.

Here are some building blocks for joy. Just like a firewall on your computer helps protect harmful viruses from attacking it, you need to build a “Joy Wall” to protect your life from having the joy sucked right out of it! The more you stack these joy blocks, the stronger your wall becomes. Life’s too short to miss out on the joy that Christ died to give you.

Joy Building Blocks:
• Faith Phil 1:25
• Reading God’s Word
• Prayer
• Obedience
• Forgiveness Psalm 51: 7-12
• Christian Fellowship Philippians 4:10
• Serving Others 3 John 4

Knowing God’s Word builds our faith. It dispels our fear. Prayer helps us to purge our lives of worry and draw upon Christ’s strength.

"The joy of the Lord is your strength"
- Nehemiah 8:10


Watch out for these Joy Suckers
• Fear & Doubt Matthew 14:27-31
• Worry Matthew 6:25-30
• Self absorption
• Unforgiveness
• Disobedience Hebrews 10:26-27
• Isolation

Don’t allow anything, i.e. person, situation, or challenge steal your joy from you. Go to God in prayer and ask Him to help you find your joy again.

He will lead you straight to it.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"
- Philippians 4:4


About iBloom:

iBloom is the go-to place for Christian life coaching for women. iBloom exists to inspire, equip, and empower every woman on the planet to live a life of passion, balance, purpose and fulfillment. iBloom is dedicated to helping women live intentionally and ultimately have a significant impact with their lives. To learn more, check out www.ibloom.us.