Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.
Interpretation
Joy is a conscious choice that requires daily affirmation and effort.
This quote by Henri Nouwen emphasizes that joy is not a passive emotion that comes to us spontaneously; rather, it is an active decision that we must make every day. It suggests that sustaining joy requires intention and commitment, urging individuals to continuously choose to embrace happiness regardless of circumstances.
In practice
Using this quote during a motivational speech to inspire people to actively pursue happiness.
The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. God loves us, not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love.
The immense joy in welcoming back the lost son hides in the immense sorrow that has gone before....our brokenness may appear beautiful, but our brokenness has no other beauty but the beauty that comes from the compassion that surrounds it.
Suffering invites us to place our hurts in larger hands. In Christ we see God suffering β for us. And calling us to share in Godβs suffering love for a hurting world. The small and even overpowering pains of our lives are intimately connected with the greater pains of Christ. Our daily sorrows are anchored in a greater sorrow and therefore a larger hope.
To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, welcome, to accept.
Waiting is a dry desert between where we are and where we want to be. (Finding My Way Home)
Becoming the beloved is pulling the truth revealed to me from above down into the ordinariness of what I am, in fact, thinking of, talking about and doing from hour to hour.
When I see myself as an old woman, I just think about being happy. And hopefully, I'll still be fly.
The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
If we think we will have joy only by praying and singing psalms, we will be disillusioned. But if we fill our lives with simple good things and constantly thank God for them, we will be joyful, that is, full of joy.
I learned you could suffer a terrible tragedy and still be happy again.
You always get a special kick on opening day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you're a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.
Contentment is a wealth that is never exhausted
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