Have you ever looked back on your childhood and wondered, "When did I become so cynical?"
As we've grown, it seems our hearts have naturally become hardened by the world around us. As a college student, I clearly remember times when I did not worry about paying my bills or struggling with tragedy nearly as heavily as I do now. It has become harder and harder to cling to that childhood joy we once had. Years ago, we learned that things aren't always smiles and sunshine. It's a scary realization and it makes us change from the carefree children we once were — dreaming big and shooting for the stars — into unsatisfied, grumbling adults.
The thing is, childlike joy is not limited specifically to children. We — as adults — can still experience this joyfulness that is not shaken even when the world around us seems to come crashing down.
To me, being joyful doesn't mean bad things won't happen to you. It means that when they do, you are firmly grounded in the love of Jesus. An all-encompassing love that surpasses the pain of this world. It's our joy in Christ that spurs us on in this thing called life.
If we wish to break the cycle of cynicism and monotony, we must find where we are joyful.
Over the last few months, as I was home in my Michigan beach town for summer vacation, I decided to make it my mission to find where my childlike joy was and cling onto it. I've always been a very excitable person and prone to cry both happy and sad tears very easily, so I knew God had planted great joy in my heart already. He has given us all passions and dreams that are different and unique to our journeys and I was excited to immerse myself in the joy He had to offer me this past summer.
I've always loved the beach and living close to one of Michigan's great lakes gave me easy access to constant beach time. I went every day that I was home. Even when the weather wasn't too friendly, I willed myself out the door because I knew that as soon as I dove under the waves, I felt lighter and my spirit felt joy.
I spent as much time as I could laughing with my friends and family because laughter is the sound of joy. I love getting to the point in a bout of laughter where your cheeks ache and you struggle to form words or even breaths because you're just laughing that hard. I held onto those times and soaked them in, allowing them to overtake me with deep happiness.
Immersing myself into deep fellowship with my closest friends has been an incredibly uplifting experience as well. Letting others see the not-so-pretty parts of myself and watching them love me anyway has given me more joy than I ever thought I could have. It's so incredibly valuable to me to have people in my life who are there to look out for my best interests and hold me accountable to stay on the path that God has mapped out for me.
God's creation has always moved me to tears. Seeing the world that he's given us to roam and explore leaves me breathless. I drove out to California for the first time this past May with the chorus at my college and I cried tears of joy at God's creation more than once a day. Seeing how beautiful the grand canyon and the mountains and the oceans are and knowing that He sees me as surpassing them in beauty has given me more joy than anything else.
I know there is still a lot of joy and excitement out there for me to experience and I'm looking forward to seeing what else God has in store for me and my childlike wonder. Go find your joy. It's out there.
