Choosing Joy
07/29/14 
Chan Park
CBS Philadelphia News Production Editor
The routines of life can get quite monotonous and boring pretty fast. I think this is especially true for working adults who are expected to wake up at the same time to go to work at the same place with the same people five days a week all year long. This isn't to say that each day doesn't have its highlights (and lowlights) that mark its difference from the day before, but no matter how excited one first may have been to start a job, there will be days (or weeks or months!) when it all just blends together. When we're in those ruts, it just feels like we're on autopilot, simply going through the motions of the day. It's actually kind of surprising how effective we can still be, even when we don't seem to be intentional about our actions or our work. We can still get our work done, be on top of our regular responsibilities and even seem to be doing well around those we interact with. However, from my experience, I know that despite how I may seem, when I'm in that state of going through the motions, I'm not truly living for God.
This isn't to say that I suddenly lose faith or that somehow I am living a sinful lifestyle. Nothing may have happened circumstantially to change my spiritual state and my actions may indicate that I'm doing quite well, but what I've come to realize is that when I'm in that state of monotony, I'm not actively choosing to live for Christ. It's a minute detail, but one that has radically changed the way I've been approaching my days. In the very first pages of his book Enjoying Intimacy With God, the late preacher J. Oswald Sanders says, "We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be." While this may sound like an extremely obvious statement to some, it struck me powerfully. I can claim that I want to be close to Jesus and know Him more, but I'll only be as close to Him as I actively choose to be. This may mean sacrificing other things to be closer to Him or simply choosing to say, "today, I will follow Jesus."
Not too long ago, there was a stretch of about a week or so where I was going through a rough patch. Things were getting frustrating and even waking up to go to work each morning was becoming a burden. As a means of lifting up these stresses and trying to shake off the bitterness, I found myself praying during part of my morning commute. Much of the prayer was like that of David's in the Psalms-you know, the "save me from my enemies" sort of prayer-but in the process, I had unintentionally developed a habit that benefited me greatly even once I had been brought out of this place of frustration. By starting off my mornings in prayer, I was not only spending it with Jesus, but in an attempt to reorient my days for Him, I found myself saying, "Jesus help me to follow You." Saying that aloud repeatedly had such a profound impact. I was consciously making the decision each day to choose Him and my prayer evolved as such, eventually turning into, "Jesus, today I will follow You." I've grown up in the church and I'd say that I've been following Him for some time, but intentionally choosing to follow Him not only lifted my spirits but also reminded me of the great joy I have in Him.
For many in the Christian faith, there's a certain heaviness and solemn attitude. I don't disagree with it-I do believe that there should be much reverence in how we approach God-but I think this keeps us from remembering the joy we have in Him. There is a certain gravity in remembering the death He died, but there is also extreme joy in remembering that He died to redeem and free us from our sin. But not only that, He died but also He rose again! The reminder of this foundational truth combined with intentionally choosing to live for Him has changed me so radically. Yes, work can still be frustrating and there are days when I'm simply tired, but just thinking about Jesus brings me such powerful joy and choosing Him each day-either as an affirmation of my current state or as a prayer to bring me into that place of need-brings me closer to Him each day. In the cyclical nature of the working life, it can be easy to get caught up in the ebb and flow of schedules and routines and this, in itself, isn't bad. But breaking from that even for just a moment each day and making the conscious decision to live that day for Jesus has allowed me to be reminded of who I live for and the importance of remember and walking with Him. It allows me to choose joy over bitterness or negativity and sets my eyes firmly on the one in whom my life is found.