Your Joy is Radical

John 15: 11 NKJV: These things I have spoken to you, that My joy remains in you, and that your joy may be full.

I was having a conversation with a friend, and we were discussing the ins and outs of school, life, work, etc. With the stress and the sadness of the conversation, we talked about needing peace and not allowing situations or people to take that away from us. He paused for a second and said, “your joy is radical; it breaks generational curses.” I quickly went to record the phrase because I wanted to reflect on the statement for a future think piece like this one. I was scrolling on Instagram one day and stumbled across Tabitha’s Brown’s videos. Y'all know she be giving the most encouraging messages. She was working behind the scenes on a project. She begins to share that she has a joy that nobody can take from her. She shared her testimony and how far God has brought her, and she spoke of the unspeakable joy.

“The Joy of the Lord is my strength.”

The google definition of radical says, "relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something." Joy disrupts the hurt, disappointment, anger that may be stirred up inside of you. God desires for us to have joy. Not only did he give us His joy; he wants it to remain full so that no one can take it away. Joy changes things! Joy makes a bad day good, a frown into a smile, a broken heart into a mended heart. It is a radical feeling that changes the way you think and move in life. I am overcoming anxiety and depression. When I have moments where I see myself going through that dark hole, I am reminded of Nehemiah 8: 10, “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” I can depend on the joy of the Lord because it will be enough.

Let us hold on to that unspeakable joy that the Lord gives. Let that joy stir up and change the nature of that moment of depression, heartache, or pain. Receive God’s joy in your life today and you will begin to see radical changes happening in your life!