Why can joy be so difficult to find and hold onto? There are endless joy stealers that confront us every day, so how do  we guard against these thieves?                                                                                            The Christmas story is full of joyful outbursts prompted by the Presence of the Eternal. Joy is in this Presence, and the promise is that the Presence is always here!     

Psalm 46:4-5 says:  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God the holy place where the Most High dwells.  

God is within her, she will not fall;  God will help her at break of day.    

Try making the verses from Psalm 46 your own by putting your name and/or the name of someone you know, in the place of “City of God”.  

In Luke’s ancient Christmas story, a young woman named Mary and her cousin Elizabeth are portrayed as erupting with JOY (Tap the word JOY to hear Mary's Song of joy Luke 1:46-55)

Their story shows us that when we glimpse what God is doing within us and around us, we want to join in and REJOICE!

Need JOY?

-  Make a list of 10 blessings in your life (instead of longings, complaints, or problems.) Thank God for each and notice what happens inside. Repeat as needed. Great joy can come from a place of gratitude.

- Taking a moment to experience awe can also be a pathway to joy. Tap HERE to gaze at some real beauty that is around us.

-  Listen to "Joy" by Rend Collective as you drive to your next stop.

Click HERE to find JOY