JOY.

A word that has been sticking out to me a lot here lately..

With it being Christmas time there are lights everywhere that spell out joy, there are songs playing everywhere you go that singing "joy to the world!".

It's an every year thing and I LOVE Christmas time. Mainly because it is when Jesus, my savior, was born.

All of the lights are pretty.

The Christmas songs are nice.

But joy...

The "joy" that all of these songs are singing about.

Do you have it?

It is sometimes super hard to have joy in the world we live it because there is so much hatred and violence going on but joy in something that you can choose personally.

Here recently life has given me what seems to be one thousand reasons to be down and out about everything but I have made up my mind that I am going to choose joy.

So I ask you.. Are you going to sit and let whatever situation you may be in get you down or are you going to do your best to get yourself up and brush yourself off and choose joy?

"The joy of the Lord is my strength!"

The true joy that a lot of people are searching for can only be found in Jesus Christ. Yeah, you can turn to temporary things to bring you happiness but I can guarantee you that those things are temporary and they WILL fail you!

We all have a God-shaped hole that only He, Jesus, can fill.

So with it being Christmas time and everyone being in the "Christmas/giving spirit" I urge you to take a look at your heart and evaluate it..

Are you finding yourself turning to those temporary things to bring you joy?

Do you have Jesus in your heart? If not.. Christmas is sometimes referred to as a season of giving so what better thing to give than to give Jesus your heart and surrender everything to Him?

After all, He's the only one who can give you TRUE JOY!! And I Promise you that He will never leave you or forsake you. He loves with an unconditional love! Nothing that you could ever do or say can make Him love you any less..

Merry CHRISTmas!

and... "JOY" to the world!