Pondering Point

“The Big Six”
Shame
Anger
Disgust
Sadness
Anxiety/Fear
Despair

Week two reminds us that not all joy is equated with happiness. When we are going through difficult times, it is a glad-to-be-together type of joy that is so powerful. While trials come, it is helpful to know we have others with us in the moment or season at hand. In such times, joy can be a fond memory (or current experience) of someone being there is a time of need.

The category Returning to Joy reminds us that we can get stuck in negative moods or emotions. Returning to joy via relationships helps us regulate feelings known as the “Big Six” emotions: shame, anger, disgust, sadness, anxiety (or fear), and despair.

Pray aloud

Father God, remind me to consider trials a way to test my faith, letting You produce endurance in me so I can be more complete, lacking in nothing spiritually.

Five Minutes

Use your GO TO JOYS and ANTICIPATED JOYS to fill a 5-minute window. Remember: use an alarm. If necessary, review the explanation. 

Read the identity in Christ
statement aloud

In Christ, God is shaping us to become perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So, I will consider it a joy to face various trials, knowing that the testing of my faith is producing endurance and developing godliness.

Closing Prayer

Close with thanks to God for these moments together.

Ask Him to bless the upcoming day, then…

GO – in JOY, with JOY anticipating JOY

Monday, October 14, 2024:

Sometime During Your Day

Level 3: Savoring joys of the past.

Pondering Point

The Joyful Journey book teaches about interactive gratitude and thought rhyming as we move forward. You are dwelling with joy on the first of five thoughts from God, in this case, each instance is drawn from a bible verse. It may be adapted into language of God speaking to you. It will lay groundwork for later use of these insights to help synchronize your thoughts with God.

You may love receiving counseling from God (Yay!) but focus on the latter part of the phrase – His loving eye being on you.

Go back to a few of joys and picture God smiling with His loving eye, enjoying your joy. Ponder for five minutes the knowledge that God looks at you with joy.

Prayer

I Love, Father God, that You look upon me with favor… that Your face shines upon me! These teachings of Your Word are my joy and heart’s delight. It makes me smile. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Enjoying Group Joy (evening)

Monday, October 14, 2024

Pondering Point

Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. Imagine the insights He could give you about your current situations and your relationships. We can find an example of group joy sharing from the gospel of John in chapter 4 with the woman at the well.

From the book Joyful Journey:
The woman at the well was amazed that Jesus knew her better than she knew herself and went to tell everybody in her village about Him. She overcame her shame about her life while sharing about a God who was good, kind and loving. Her joy and hope brought the whole village back to taste what she had experienced. It is our responsibility and privilege to tell others about our gratitude for God's power in our lives.
~ Wilder, Kang, Loppnow, Loppnow, Joyful Journey, pages 48, 49.

Pray aloud

Thank You, Father God, for those people who have shared their joy of Jesus with me over the years. I look forward to more connections.

Review

Scour the day for ANTICIPATED or SURPRISE JOYS. You are training your brain to look for joy. This builds the habit. Recall the body sensations and emotion.

This solidifies the habit. Remember: use an alarm

Read the identity in Jesus
statement aloud

In Christ, we are the kind of people who share our joy in Jesus with others so that they experience the same.

Evening Prayer

Thank God for blessing the day, ask for peaceful rest, then GO to sleep – in grateful JOY, anticipating new JOY tomorrow under His grace.