Our Right To A Happy Heart
by Tonya King
Have you ever suffered with a heavy heart? Of course, you have. A heavy heart goes with the territory that is mental illness. But, have you ever stopped to think about the idea that we have a Biblical responsibility and a right to a happy heart? We do! Proverbs 17:22 says
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
God wants us to be happy! He truly does. But I know that when the depressions come, being joyful is, at best, difficult, and at times, impossible. But we must understand that joy does not depend on our circumstances. Being joyful is a mindset. So many times, we confuse being joyful and being happy. Happiness depends on circumstances and is flies up or down depending on our mood…but joyful is a state of mind.
I have had a struggle with this concept, as many of you do as well. How can I tap into God’s joy when my world is so dark and everything around me screams “pain is all you will know”? I will tell you how. Get into the Word of God. Take your Bible and immerse yourself in it. Read it, cry with it, learn from it.
The Word of God and a deep relationship with Jesus are the only ways to experience true joy regardless of circumstance. A joy that can be lived out every day. Just knowing this should bring you hope. No darkness of our minds can snuff out the joy of being in relationship with Jesus. No attack of the enemy can withstand the power of the Word of God! We have been mandated by God to have a happy heart. It is our right as children of the Most High.
Knowing this changes my perspective. I have, in the past, embraced my depression and wallowed in it with the mindset that it would never lift. It was easy to be deeply sad and to expect those around me to understand. But that is not what the Word of God says we are to do.
We are to fight for our joy! We are to get up, dust ourselves off, and continue living with the joy that God has placed in every believer. Jesus came to bring the “Good News”. He came to tell us that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We are never alone in our illness. We need to press in and press through.
Please do not think I am trying to give you a “pep talk”. No, I have lived this out. I fight every day for that deep-down joy. I crave it, I need it. I cannot walk one day without it. So, when you feel dark. When everything seems hopeless, remember you have the Biblical right to a joyful heart! Keep reaching, keep seeking. Joy is yours. In the Name of Jesus.
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