Have you ever met someone who had a bored, sullen or defeatist attitude and say to yourself, “I want to be just like them!”? Probably not, and for good reason.
The person who shares a joyful spirit is the one who gets people’s attention. Immediately people notice that something is different about him or her, and they want to know what the secret is.
You may be saying to yourself, “But you don’t know how angry so and so makes me all the time. I would be more joy-filled if it weren’t for…” You can finish the thought. One step in fulfilling a joyful spirit is to focus on not transferring the ownership of your emotional life to someone or something else. You are losing power over your emotions when you do this. In other words, you are losing your emotional strength. We must learn to master this area of our life.
How do we do this? The answer is how we train our minds to think. If we can control our thoughts, we can significantly improve our emotional strength. It is not about denying our problems; rather, it is about affirming God and not affirming our woes.
Bring into focus with mental discipline thoughts that reflect God’s thoughts. His thoughts are on every page of Scripture. Spend time meditating upon his word until it becomes natural to think after them. This mental discipline will transform our thoughts, and thus transform our emotional well-being.
We cannot afford to “wing it” when it comes to our emotional well-being. Be deliberate and you will discover not only a life that is filled with joy, but also a life that makes others take notice and want what you have. What an opportunity to share your faith!
