I've been thinking about getting back into the blog world after a few years' hiatus. I wanted something worth talking about--other than myself--and have found practically every topic--well boring! Part of the reason may be that my capacity for joy is so small that nothing stays long enough for me to enjoy it. Hence the topic.
How does one build joy? If "the joy of the Lord is my strength" then my strength is intolerably puny. And if the Lord gives freely to all people--as the Bible claims He does--then perhaps there's a way to grow the stuff.
What is joy anyway? A counselor friend says that joy is being in relationship with someone else. It's knowing that someone wants to be with you, and you feel good about it.
So it's possible that I don't experience much of that "joy of the Lord" because I have a hard time believing that an all-knowing God actually wants to be with me. Because I doubt that, my strength is small.
Is it possible that joy is a muscle that can be built? Or a building that begins with a couple of bricks?
I need to explore this matter of building joy more fully. I need an audience to make it real. And I need a quiet place to be vulnerable. Building things is sweaty, dirty business, so don't be surprised if I let things fly a little in the process. And since I don't know what in the hell I'm doing, I'm wide open for suggestions.
