We have just come through the holiday season, a time when all the great world religions express their hopes for love, peace and joy in the world. Last month, I asked you to look within and find joy in who you are. This month, I am asking you to look for ways to share that joy with the others. What can you do to bring more joy into your life and to this planet?
What is Divine Joy?
Joy is our birthright, but so few people experience to joy. Most people feel great if they can just experience happiness. In fact, many people equate happiness with joy, but there is a big difference. Happiness comes from without, while joy comes from within.
Most of humanity is looking for happiness from something outside of themselves. The belief is that something must happen for them to be happy. If you believe you will be happy if you get a raise, if your boyfriend brings you flowers, or if your friends like the job you do, you are always waiting for someone else to make you happy. And if these things do not happen, you are unhappy. Either way, you have given the power in your life to someone else.
I remember many years ago hearing Wayne Dyer say, “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” In those two sentences, Dr. Dyer captured the essence of the difference between happiness and joy. Joy comes from within. Joy is a state of being you must feel. When you feel it, you can share it with others.
Joy comes from doing those things that fill you, no matter what anyone else thinks. It comes from looking in the mirror and loving yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks. It comes from knowing in that each moment in life is beautiful and precious, and from letting someone else know they are loved.
Sharing Joy with Others
Joy is not something that anyone else can give you. It is something that you give yourself. So, joy is not something you can give others, but you can help them experience joy if they are open.
Moving into the New Year, resolve to look for those things that bring you joy. Look for the beauty in every person and every event. Do those things that fill your heart and make you want to sing. Look for what is right instead of what is wrong. Then try to help those around you to do the same.
Start 2024 by asking yourself these questions each morning:
- How can live more joyfully today?
- And how can I bring more joy into someone else’s life? How can I help them feel joyful?
Rejoice in what Source sees in you, and help others see and feel the beauty in life. Shine brightly in 2024.
Image by Depositphotos from Pixabay