This Place of Joy

The person that I am today did not exist years ago. My days were often filled with gloom, worry and despair. I walked around with a constant cloud of woe and sadness. I seldom found the good in any situation, and actually expected things to always get worse. Although I had temporary moments of happiness, they were few and far between. I knew there had to be more to life, and I felt as though I was a lost cause. Most of my family and friends had grown tired of "dealing with me" and I was glad, because this meant they would leave me alone with my sadness. Depression had become so familiar that I wore it like my favorite coat. It went with me everywhere. So when I wrote the following post on my Facebook wall yesterday, I wonder if the past me would be surprised:

What an amazing day to be alive! I've been waking up with so much joy, happiness, and peace. I can't explain it. I don't go to bed with worries, hate, bitterness, anger or unforgiving. The people around me are truly amazing, positive, and encouraging people, good people, who genuinely pour into me, and I willing reciprocate. I've attracted my heart's desires, both public and secret desires, by taking control of my thoughts and focusing on what I DO want and not what I don't want. I feel like anything I can imagine I can achieve. Everything in my life at this moment, is not here by accident, and I'm blessed because I simply believe. But its not about the material stuff, because I've learned to be happy with or without it. I may not worship God in traditional, extremely religious ways, but I know that God is real, and exists. Stop complaining, and start doing. If you can't do it, change your thinking, that's where it all starts. Thoughts become actions, you are what you attract.


What brought about this complete change? I wish I could say it miraculously happened over night, or it was easy. But that's simply not true. I first had to realize that there was a problem, and only God could do in me what I had desperately tried doing my entire life. I knew that I was not living my ultimate life, and I wanted something more than momentary happiness. I wanted JOY! True everlasting, internal, and eternal JOY! The JOY of the Lord! During the Month of August I'll share with you my Journey to Joy in the Worship Wednesdays Newsletter. I look forward to sharing this journey with you! 


The Sanctuary Weekly Contributor
Chaun Archer

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