I've Got That Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down In My Heart
[First published July 13, 2018]
I'm not happy all the time. No one is. When I get a flat tire, am allegedly nagged by my wife, stub my toe, get bitten by my cat, or watch the Steelers lose, I feel unhappy. Yet I feel joy pretty much all the time, even while those bad things are happening.
I am about 2/3 finished reading Choose Joy Because Happiness Isn't Enough, by Kay Warren. (http://kaywarren.com/choosejoy/) She doles out an overdose of scripture, in my opinion, and claims the Bible to be the unquestionable 100% word of God. That's fine for her, but I have my own set of beliefs. And you have your own, too.
Nevertheless, she gets it right, in my view, much of the time throughout her book. She defines joy as "the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things." Happiness, she claims, is a temporary state, while joy lasts for all time because joy can only be found through God. He is eternal and so is our joy.
So what does all this have to do with alcoholism? Plenty. I have found joy, and with it comes sobriety. I am still learning how trusting my higher power works so much better than draining a bottle down my throat. There's a new sensation that comes from truly finding God and seeking to do His will.
"God has promised repeatedly to care for us, reassuring us that he knows our needs even before we ask.... When we refuse him -- as evidenced by our tension headaches, chewed up fingernails, irritability, stomach aches, [drinking,] and sleepless nights -- we are saying, 'I know you were there in the past, but what about now? I'm not sure you can be counted on, God, so I had better figure
this out on my own.'"
Refuse booze/choose God.
I'm not happy all the time. No one is. When I get a flat tire, am allegedly nagged by my wife, stub my toe, get bitten by my cat, or watch the Steelers lose, I feel unhappy. Yet I feel joy pretty much all the time, even while those bad things are happening.
I am about 2/3 finished reading Choose Joy Because Happiness Isn't Enough, by Kay Warren. (http://kaywarren.com/choosejoy/) She doles out an overdose of scripture, in my opinion, and claims the Bible to be the unquestionable 100% word of God. That's fine for her, but I have my own set of beliefs. And you have your own, too.Nevertheless, she gets it right, in my view, much of the time throughout her book. She defines joy as "the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things." Happiness, she claims, is a temporary state, while joy lasts for all time because joy can only be found through God. He is eternal and so is our joy.
So what does all this have to do with alcoholism? Plenty. I have found joy, and with it comes sobriety. I am still learning how trusting my higher power works so much better than draining a bottle down my throat. There's a new sensation that comes from truly finding God and seeking to do His will.
"God has promised repeatedly to care for us, reassuring us that he knows our needs even before we ask.... When we refuse him -- as evidenced by our tension headaches, chewed up fingernails, irritability, stomach aches, [drinking,] and sleepless nights -- we are saying, 'I know you were there in the past, but what about now? I'm not sure you can be counted on, God, so I had better figure
this out on my own.'"
Refuse booze/choose God.
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