As I watch the news and read about all the things going on in the world, it can be easy to get caught up and broken down by the negativity that is broadcast. I've heard it said often, "is there anything ever good shared on the news?" While this may be true, I don't watch the news to be uplifted or to feel good. I watch the news and read about the things going on in this world to be informed.

If you are looking to the news, or even people to bring you joy...you are looking in the wrong place. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." If we are constantly consumed by the things going on around us, we will find ourselves broken in spirit. Yet if we focus in on the goodness of God, joy will not only flow in us, but thru us. Think about the people that you like to spend time with. These are most likely people in whom joy pours out of their souls. If you had a choice, you would probably choose to spend time with the person who has a joyful heart over Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer.

Of course this joy does not come naturally. It can come from one source and one source alone, Jesus. Joy is something that radiates off of those who have it and it should be something that each one of us desires to have. It should be something that we want other people to see and wonder how we got it! Joy comes when the focus of our lives becomes living for His glory and not our own. I am reminded that joy as an acronym can stand for this:

J - Jesus

O - Others

Y - Yourself

If we can keep this perspective in our lives, living first for Jesus, second for others, and thirdly, ourselves, I believe that we will truly have a joyful heart. One that radiates the joy of the Lord and one that others want to be around. I pray that you find yourself in the midst of this joy. To those who maybe are struggling, I pray that you focus back in on Jesus and His grace, mercy, and love and that you find the joy that He desires you to have.