Joy!

Oh Joy, I'm learning about Joy. lol
Joy Second fruit of the spirit, comes only after love.
Yet it's something that I don't think I pursue enough.
When I think of joy it's like after I win a game, or pretty much when life is going good.
But it's when life isn't going great and I am still joyful that I can find true joy.
I know I have written about both of these verses before but hey it's the bible, learn something new everyday! =P
James 1:2-4 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If I were to ask you if you wanted to be a strong Christian, I'm sure that the vast majority of you would say yes.
I mean who wants to be weak?
But if I were to ask you if you wanted trials, I'm pretty sure no one would want them. I mean who wants trouble?
But you can't have them both.
Trials bring strength.
It's like wanting to be a Olympic ice skater without ever touching the ice. It's impossible. You may even be a natural but you aren't going to be at that level without some experience.
Honestly if God were to give you these two choices
1. For the next 5 years you won't have any trouble.
You'll be well off financially,
No one you love will die,
All of your relationships will go well,
None of your friends will talk behind your back,
ect.
2. Life is going to be tough for the next 5 years,
You'll barely be able to make ends meet,
People you love will die,
Relationships will take work,
ect.
but at the end of the 2nd choice you will be soo much closer to God.
Which would you chose?
I mean honestly! I mean it's so easy for me to look at them and say oh choice 2 ofcourse! but would I really??
I mean it's SO easy for me to say that I want to grow closer to God and I want to become a stronger Christian.
But if it takes trials would I chose them?
Words mean nothing.
It's the actions behind them that make them worth something.

Philippians 4:4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
To often I think of joy as something that God should hand to me as a gift or something.
But it's something I have to pursue.
Its a daily, hourly, minute by minute, and even second by second choice.
It's putting away my anger, annoyance, selfishness, worry and the list goes on.
I love to have a plan, and I love things to go even somewhat as it was planned.
But in my family, plans change. alot. lol
And for me it's really hard to always have joy when things don't go as planned.
To always have joy.
I was watching this show last night about these kids who are sold by their parents for $20 to be slaves.
They rescued about 21 of them and you could have lit a room with their smiles.
And I get upset because we don't leave on time?
I take everything for granted.

So ends my rambling post.