Like many others, I’ve asked God to give me a new word to focus on for 2023. This year, He put the word joy in my heart. I was telling a friend and she said, “Oh that’s great!” I immediately said, “Yes it is, but it’s not what you think.”
As I began to seek God about joy, I felt Him saying it’s an acronym for joy that He wants me to focus on: Jesus, Others, Yourself. I believe this is the key to living a joy-filled life.
When I spend time focusing on the shoulda, woulda, coulda’s, the woe is me thoughts, and every other negative thought I can come up with, I am going to be miserable. If I am striving to make myself happy by focusing on what I want instead of focusing on others, I won’t be happy. But when I focus on Jesus and others, that’s when I find true joy and satisfaction.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t take care of yourself. Self-care is very important. You need to take time with Jesus. You need to take time to relax. You need to take time to enjoy your family. (By the way, your family is your greatest ministry.) You need to take care of your health with proper exercise and healthy eating. If you do these things to the best of your ability, you’ll have what it takes to lavish love on others.
Do you have a word for this year? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to leave a comment.
Silently Bleeding 