Help encourage others to choose joy.

Philippians 4:8

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Imagine standing in line at the check-out. You squeeze in a quick stop at the store on your lunch break, and your time is limited. The person in front of you realizes they picked up the wrong item and quickly excuses themselves to return to the aisle to retrieve the correct item. Meanwhile, the number of people in the checkout line continues to grow.

There are many ways this scene could play out. Each person in line begins to grumble. The employee waiting for the customer to return begins to get frustrated because their shift is over, and they are waiting to close out the customer's order. The customers might begin to share their annoyance with each other. How they choose to react when the customer returns to the line will reveal their character.

This is particularly important for those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ. Facing conflicts and anxieties like this can cause even the best of us to lash out in anger or with distasteful reactive words. It is important for us to develop Christian thoughts that reflect the mind of Christ and lead to showing grace, joy, peace, and kindness. Jesus urges us to follow his example and practice what we learn from him.

Others will see the Lord through us and be drawn to how we choose to react. Help encourage others to choose joy! How can you be an example of Jesus in your next frustrating situation? Let the Joy of Jesus encourage others in a negative world.

James 1:2-3: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”