Joy, The Promise of Joy, Words of Endurance
Beware the Joy Stealers
In his book, Turning Toward Joy, David Jeremiah quotes what he calls a prescription for unhappiness. “Follow this prescription faithfully for two weeks,” he promises, “and I guarantee you unhappiness!”
- Make little things bother you; don’t just let them, make them.
- Lose your perspective on things, and keep it lost. Don’t put first things first.
- Get yourself a good worry—one about which you cannot do anything but worry.
- Be a perfectionist: condemn yourself and others for not achieving perfection.
- Be right, always right, perfectly right all the time. Be the only one who is right and be rigid about your rightness.
- Don’t trust or believe people, or accept them at anything but their worst and weakest. Be suspicious. Impute ulterior motives to them.
- Always compare yourself unfavorably to others, which is the guarantee of instant misery.
- Take personally, with a chip on your shoulder, everything that happens to you that you don’t like.
- Don’t give yourself wholeheartedly or enthusiastically to anyone or to anything.
- Make unhappiness the aim of your life, instead of bracing for life’s barbs through a “bitter with the sweet” philosophy.
Lord of Joy . . . You promise joy in the
midst of our suffering, so please let me know
your joy today as I persevere in faithful service
and as I demonstrate true commitment in my
tasks. Give me your smile, let me feel your
peace dancing in my heart. That, for me will be
true joy.
Joni Eareckson Tada
