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Do you ever wake up some days and just feel like everything’s wrong and nothing is right? I have those days. The joy of the Lord that we often sing about or talk about just seems to be absent. You know, when that happens, it’s a good time to just stop and ask yourself, “What is stealing my joy?”
Sometimes we let people steal our joy, don’t we? It could be that person you work with that just pushes your buttons, or makes your job more difficult, or disrespects you in some way. It could be someone you live with—a mate or family member—just people. Our lives are full of people and they often cause us lots of stress, frustrate us, and steal our joy.
What can you do when someone steals your joy—a lot? First, learn to put a shield up against their criticism or negativity or whatever it is they do or say that steals your joy. Pray in advance that God will help you shield your mind and emotions from their joy-stealing tactics. As my friend, Jan Silvious, says, picture yourself in a castle with a moat around you, and just pull up the bridge when the joy-stealer comes your way. You may not be able to avoid them, but you can shield your mind from them.
Also, don’t spend any more time than you have to with joy-stealers. Proverbs 13:20 says, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Choose your companions carefully. Certainly we never treat anyone unkindly or arrogantly, but it is important that we avoid people who continually try to steal our joy.
It’s important to pray for those people in your life who are difficult. Ask God to help you understand why they are the way they are—to see them as God sees them. When you can look beyond their behavior and have some understanding of what lies behind it, you may be amazed at how that changes your feelings and actually gives you compassion so that they just can’t steal your joy any longer, even if they never change.