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Do you have enough joy?
Joy is an essential ingredient for a balanced life.
It’s like oil in an engine. Without it, your life is just a grind.
God created humans with a capacity and a need for joy.
So how can we find it and get enough?
In this video you’ll learn who the most joyful people on the planet are and why they’re like that (It’s not who you’d expect).
Just click on the video and discover how you can experience the same joy.
To live a transformed life you need to know how to live in joy.
Now I want to hear from you
How have you kept joy in your life? Just leave your comments in the box below.
Want more joy?
Do you struggle with thoughts, feelings, moods and behaviors that you donât want but canât stop?
Are you frustrated that your relationships have never lived up to your expectations?
Are you tired of always living with a sense of spiritual defeat?
Click here and learn how you can be Emotionally Free.
Would you like to meet with me personally to discuss areas in your life where you feel stuck?
I am now able to take a very limited number of online or phone appointments. If you want help living a transformed life, just click here for more information.
Grant
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Comments 21
Hello Dr. Grant! I have had a hard time retaining joy in my day to day walk… you are right in saying that growing into adulthood steals your joy. I lost my Dad at age 1, my Mom at age 21 and I spent most of my teen years rebelling! I went through a divorce after 17 years of marriage and had to reinvent myself to learn how to exist alone. Then I got married to a wonderful man who is my best friend. It is with God and my husbands efforts that I have learned to have joy once again! Being 5 is hard when you don’t remember what 5 feels like… but I do know that it means not taking on those worries and burdens…instead taking them into your hands, tossing them up towards Heaven and giving them to Jesus! He wants them and He wants the job of dealing with them… and He wants us to believe He is working on them on our behalf…I truly do believe that He is! Therefore, I HAVE JOY! 😀
I will try, but I dont know how to do this.
Thanks Jan, it takes practice and persistence to keep throwing the burdens up to Jesus. We are so used to carrying them ourselves.
When things are going really bad, I’m stress, sad, worried… I walk into my kitchen where I have a children’t toy: Tickle Me Elmo. I touch the right spot and Elmo proceeds to laugh out loud, rolling on the floor, slapping his hand on the floor as he laughs hysterically and suddenly stops. He says: Again, again, do it again. So I push another spot on Elmo and he rolls and laughs even more passionately. He stops and takes a deep breath…and says: Again, again, do it again. The last round of his laughter is even funnier than the first two…because I am laughing with Elmo…just like a child. All the stress, sadness and worry is gone. Here is the UTube link so you can watch Elmo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4x-VW_rCSE
Right on, Dr. Grant! I had a little talk with God several years ago about the fact that the Kingdom of God is exactly the opposite to the world’s ways. We do raise children to be indepentant adults, not tied to our apron strings, but God wants us tied to His apron strings in every area of our lives. Worldly maturity brings with it, anxiety, worry, responsibility but Jesus says: Cast all your cares upon me. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. As our relationship with God deepens, our JOY becomes more prominent in our lives. Keep up the great video blogs.
Sooo needed, wanted by all. Periodically, an imposed personal time out is useful, to assess the joy-robbers in our lives and determine whether we’re holding onto bad habits, toxic people or patterns that have become wobbly props in our lives. Regardless of what we consciously use to help reintroduce joy — those wind up, laughing toys are great … I hear of therapeutic laughing clubs to join … planning for lighthearted adventures and fellowship that foster joy — true joy will be resident in the deeps of our beings, even in the worst of circumstances, if we’ve tapped into The Giver Of Joy and trust Him implicitly so that we cannot be shaken. Genuine joy burbles up like a fresh spring which source is Jesus, and is present when life is yukky, too. The Word reminds us “The Lord Inhabits the praises of His people” and, “Where The Lord Is There Is Joy” and, “The Joy of The Lord is my strength”. Seems to be a sequence there. Thinking about and chatting with Him, singing to and about Him, telling Him He’s amazing and appreciated while recounting everything I’m so grateful for, flings wide the door to joy and contentment, His continual presence and encouragement, and lifts me above distressing circumstances. Not once or twice, but always! Reminding ourselves of God’s Truth and what He thinks of us — He’s crazy about us and can’t wait to spend time with us — is the remedy. It’s that Lap Time you speak of so well, Grant. Keep up the great reminders.
Great advice Anita. We should remind ourselves of that every morning before breakfast.
Wow – what a great message today about joy. I can tell you that this really hit home for me today. I had forgotten about a dream I had when I was quite ill and full of anxiety and uncertain about my future due to an illness that came on so aggressively. As soon as you said “the pinnacle of spirit maturity was just to be age 5 sitting on his lap forever.” I usually never remember any of my dreams but this particular dream was so real to me and I remember being held by someone I had never seen before and what was even more special about that dream was that I wondered who that little girl was, and it was me. But most of all I remember that “feeling” of being held and the love that I felt was like I’ve never felt before and I didn’t want to let go. That embrace will stay with me forever and the joy was unspeakable joy. I have never had another dream like that since, but I can honestly say that I know God answered my prayer that day. You helped me to remember that dream and I just had to write you to tell you. Where there was uncertainty God reminded me of His love, His joy and His peace is all I need when the devil tries to steal away my happiness I turn and remind myself of the embrace of our loving Heavenly Father. What a wonderful God we serve and I pray that if there is anyone who is seeking and searching for that joy, that happiness, look no further, but turn your eyes on Jesus. He’s the answer to everything in this life. Thank you for such a wonderful reminder. May God bless you and your wife for your wonderful Ministry. I know I’m happy I opened my e-mail today.
I lived a greater part of the earlier years of my life without joy. Oh, there were moments of joy, but mostly sadness, pain and heartache. It was as I received ministry through a Christian counselling centre, and dealt with the emotional pain I was carrying, that I began to experience more joy. It’s wonderful! I experience the most joy when I am obedient to the Holy Spirit’s nudging to dance during worship. It’s totally awesome! And recently Father God showed me that I was His princess…He put a crown on my head, I was wearing a pretty, frilly party dress, and He was smiling from ear to ear and had a sparkle in His eyes! Oh the love I felt and the joy that brought. I can’t help but smile every time I think of it!!!
Thank you so much for the encouragement every week through your video blogs.
Thanks Ana and Carol. I’m glad the video was such a blessing to you. Each week when I create the video I pray that it will be helpful to someone. May your joy abound and increase!
Hi, Dr Mullen, For the last 3 weeks I have not been able to play the videos on your blog; there is just a black box, and we are not mobile users. Help!
That’s terrible! 3 weeks without a video is inhumane and unjust.
When you click on the “Mobile users click here” it should take you to Youtube where you should be able to see the video. Sometimes refreshing the page or trying a different browser helps.
Has anyone else been having this problem… or have a solution?
Thank you, Grant, for the video on ‘JOY’. How true! If you want to experience joy on a weekly basis, volunteer to teach Sunday School – the 4, 5, and 6yr olds! Their joy is contagious!
I just noticed Jill’s comment about not being able to see the video and just having a black box. I had the same problem yesterday, but thankfully, when I shut down the computer for the night and retried today, it was fine.
I completely agree that true, inner joy comes from complete dependence on the Lord the same way a child is dependent on their parent for all things.This has been hard for me because of so much abuse and rejection in my past.The emotional baggage I have had to carry , like so many others, has been overwhelming.It was hard for me to trust God as my Father since my own father was distant and absent from home a whole lot. I remember years ago when the Holy Spirit started prompting me to trust my Heavenly Father for everything.I didn’t want to because I felt like I had to take care of me or no one else would. But today. I can honestly say I tell God almost daily I now realise I can’t even take my next breath without Him. Somewhere in the middle of my emotional mess, I finally realised He is the only One I can truly trust for the rest of my life, no matter what.Now that gives me true joy knowing that I can really depend on Him daily.
Thanks Glory, what a powerful testimony. We always compare God to our natural father and think that we have to look after ourselves. There’s such freedom in total dependency! Just be 5.
Hi Grant, trying to keep your joy in hard times is not easy and they only way i find it is when I listen to worship music and spend time with Our Lord, that is where I find my peace, but I need to spend quality time with God, I will have to learn how to sit on God’s knee again no matter where I am and who I am with,
Your message is what all of us need, thank you
worry dont get you no where but feeling upset so i do what i can and make the best of what i have today.i find joy in family friends animals and good food.
It is funny you mention at the age of 5 sitting on Jesus’s lap, it was at that age I saw my mother cry again and again because my father was very strict and angry all the time, I undertook the task of taking care of my mother. Now was that normal? No and No again. I am now 57 and I am still taking care of my mother. God knows all things, He will be my good shepherd.
Yes, Rachel, if you had a bad experience at age 5 then my analogy can be more painful than helpful. May God give you the strength and wisdom to deal with your mother.
The Video on Joy was simple !
I think Joy is one of the Fruits of the Spirit if I am correct
With living in the Circumtances its Hard to have JOY !
I tell myself one step at a time and one day at a time.
I believe again it comes back to Positive Thinking and Negative thinking where it ends up dealing with ones MOODS??? FEELINGS???
The Video was nice and peaceful with the Water in the Background which that Helped my Mood and Nervous!