{"id":3625,"date":"2021-04-16T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shop.honestreflections.net\/?p=3625"},"modified":"2021-04-03T11:22:49","modified_gmt":"2021-04-03T16:22:49","slug":"finding-joy-in-the-ordinary-will-make-you-light-hearted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2021\/04\/16\/finding-joy-in-the-ordinary-will-make-you-light-hearted\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Joy in the Ordinary Will Make You Light-Hearted"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2 minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Daily Reading: <\/strong>Deuteronomy 33-34 GW<\/a>; Proverbs 17 GW<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defeat depression with joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our constantly connected world impacts our thinking.\u00a0 Numbers scrolling across the screen reporting the number of deaths in the latest incident are hard to escape.\u00a0 Unemployment, mental illness, disease, relationships,\u00a0 political issues, the list goes on about what sucks the life from you.\u00a0 Fighting the constant barrage of bad news is exhausting for everyone.\u00a0 Depression is hard to battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But hope exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can have a joyful heart.  Paul, in his first letter to the Thessalonians, tells us how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRejoice always,<\/em> <\/em><\/strong>pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God\u2019s will for you in Christ Jesus.\u201d (<\/em>1 Thessalonians 15:16-18 NIV<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice, Paul doesn\u2019t say \u201cfor\u201d all circumstances; he says \u201cin,\u201d big difference.  We all have crappy situations in our lives.  Not \u201cfor,\u201d \u201cin.\u201d Thank God for people and things \u201cin\u201d those times that help you get through them.  When my nephew died, I didn\u2019t thank God for the event; but I did thank Him for the people who helped get through it.  When you look for God \u201cin\u201d whatever circumstance you\u2019re dealing with today, You will find Him.  Joy comes through gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank God for the ordinary.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

True joy comes from appreciating what you already have.  Instead of focusing on what you don\u2019t have, thank God for what you do have.  One way I \u201cpray continually\u201d is by thanking God for the ordinary.  I recognize, living in America means I live in a First World country.  We have running water, food, homes, something many people around the world don\u2019t have.  Therefore, I thank God when I brush my teeth, eat a meal or lay my head on my pillow.  Ordinary things to me, but for many people, not so common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try gratitude today.  Thank God for what you already have.  Let God make your heart joyful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Check out my new release on Amazon<\/a>. Learn how I used prayer to control my emotions and develop healthier relationships in my life. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thank You, God, for today.  Forgive us for taking You for granted and for letting the world affect the condition of our hearts.  We\u2019re grateful for the air we breathe.  Each intake fills us with new life.  As we exhale, let whatever is causing us angst leave us.  Remind us today to thank You for the ordinary. Help us pray continuously by thanking You.  As we look to You, fill our hearts with joy.  IJNIP. Amen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question for reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What ordinary thing can you thank God for today?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2 minute read. Daily Reading: Deuteronomy 33-34 GW; Proverbs 17 GW Defeat depression with joy. Our constantly connected world impacts our thinking.\u00a0 Numbers scrolling across the screen reporting the number of deaths in the latest incident are hard to escape.\u00a0 Unemployment, mental illness, disease, relationships,\u00a0 political issues, the list goes on about what sucks the… Continue reading Finding Joy in the Ordinary Will Make You Light-Hearted<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3625"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3631,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3625\/revisions\/3631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}