There is an old church hymn that says, “Joys are flowing like a river, since the Comforter has come…He abides with us forever. Makes the happy heart His home…” Joy is like a river. It has movement in a certain direction…in the direction of more joy.
Like a river, joy can be dammed up and its course can be completely stopped and rerouted to a new direction by losing our focus away from all things pure, true, lovely, of good report, and joyfulness.
Often without realizing it we essentially borrow trouble from our friends and the people around us when we tell our tale of woe, you know what I am saying, you are looking for sympathy by telling others of your problems, doubts, and fears.
Telling others your fears is a touchy thing at best.
Unless the person you are telling can listen without judgment (labeling) and respond with unconditional love, and wisdom, it is likely they will simply relate your story of woe to other tales of woe that they have experienced or heard from others, or worse yet they may “one-up” you by beating your story with one of their own…thereby instead of helping you come to your own truth, resulting in restoring your flow of joy…they add their own negativity, doubt, and fear to your own.
Fear is like a river also, whose current flows stronger with the addition of more of the same. You have now borrowed their trouble and added it to your own and it can only flow towards more reasons to be afraid and doubt your heart.
Worry, doubt, and fear are issues of the mind of the uninitiated.
A wise counsel of mine once told me when I came for advice on issues I thought I couldn’t resolve. She simply asked me, “What would you do in these situations if it were not about money?”
Upon my considering this, everything became crystal clear and I knew exactly what I would do. The funny thing about it was that money was not what was blocking me from following my joy in the direction it should go in the decision making process.
To the “uninitiated” the worry, doubt, and fear of the mind takes precedence over the knowingness, peace, and joy of the heart.
Seek wise counsel only. Tell no one else your doubt, worries, and fears.
The flow of your river of joy leads only towards more of what will bring you joy. In the words, of a great woman author, Florence Scovel Shinn, “The better it gets…the better it gets.”
If you allow yourself to follow your flowing river of joy, it can only lead you to more joy.
The product of joy is more strength in your physical body, more peace of mind, greater connection to the Divine, and it will be a light onto your path.
Guard your heart diligently for out of the heart flows joy like a river. Ask yourself, “Am I operating and making life decisions from my analytical mind and keeping my options open just in case something better comes along?” or “Am I operating and making life decisions from my heart and I feel joy?”
But…”What if following joy leads me to something later on that hurts?” But…”I have spent so much of my life moving in this direction. Can I really just stop everything and follow what feels joyful?”
This first question reveals one who is flip-flopping from their heart to their head.
The second question is one who is mistrusting the integrity of their heart-knowingness…that joy breeds more joy…that purposefully and constantly following joy can only flow in the direction of more joyful events…that you are never settling with one decision but that you never get it wrong and you never come to the end of the river of joy…it just keeps going and going in joy-filled directions.
It is not the money and toys that make life joy-filled although these can facilitate greater perceptions of joy at times…it is the life spent surrounded by likeminded, heartful, seekers of joy.
Trust it.
Choose joy within even moment of every day. Become the personification of love and joy and love and joy will fill every moment of your life and your peace of mind will pass all understanding.
