I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy

So I try to keep things pretty light hearted here, no one wants to spend all day reading sappy stories and heavy, guilt-laden comments about life and such. With that in mind, I'll try to keep this short.

Since we bought our house (we're homeowners in case you didn't know!) and even a few days leading up to it, I had been dealing with a lot of anxiety and stress. If you know me, then you know that I don't get worked up about much. I know that God has given me a level head and a something of a soft heart. I don't worry about much. Even though everything was going great, I would come home and just be overwhelmed by this anxious feeling. I couldn't place a finger on what it was, but I knew that something wasn't right.

During the midst of closing on the house, moving, preparing music for a youth conference, unpacking, rehearsing and cleaning, I really felt like I couldn't keep my head above water. Pulling all the strength that I had left in me, I made it through the weekend and into Monday.


So all that to say...

Maegan and I had an awesome experience leading small groups and teaching students the importance of remaining abstinent until marriage. The whole weekend really brought us closer (even though we hardly saw each other) and we opened up and talked a lot about what we had experienced.

This is when she spoke words to me that I will never forget. She told me she was listening to some preacher on KSWP. (You know how you start listening and you just kinda get into it? Everybody does it. Don't act like you haven't ever got your Dr. Tony Evans on.) He happened to be talking about having joy in God. He went on to say that if we keep placing our joy in things or people or circumstances, then we will lose it every single time. Immediately God grabbed a hold of me and I realized that I kept trying to put my joy in my house, my job, my music and everything else that I could think of. And the result? I was a tired, anxious wreck.

After that, I just asked God to be the TRUE joy in my life no matter what the circumstances may be. And you know what? My life has been transformed. Upside down. The uneasy feelings that I was consumed with are gone. The stress is gone. The exhaustion is gone. And I all I had to do was refocus on where I was placing my hope.

I encourage you to just give it shot today. Put your joy in Christ and see what happens.

Peace.