It’s important to find joy in Christ above all else everyday. Joy is what you hold onto regardless of the emotions that you feel. You can feel all sorts of temporary emotions: happiness, sadness, grief, anger, etc…but nothing can touch your joy in Christ. Joy is the deep state of your spirit, knowing that your hope is in Jesus Christ and your final resting place is with Him in glory.

To find joy I personally have to constantly remind myself whose I am, where He’s brought me from, and where He’s taking me to. I try not to think in momentary circumstances or with a worldly mindset, instead I want to set my mind on things above—things that last for eternity.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” —Colossians 3:1-2

It’s also important for me to show that joy to others. To do this I try to stay optimistic in my life about anything and everything. And I can do this because I know that no matter how adverse a situation may be, I am connected with the King, and because of that, nothing can bring me down. With this powerful truth in mind, it’s easy for me to be there for people, always having a smile on my face, because I know that my God is with me and He understands and cares about what we are all going through each day. Then when people ask me why I have the joy and peace that I have, I can point them towards Christ.

“In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” -1 Peter 3:15

There are times when choosing joy isn’t the easy thing to do. When I was recently in the free agency process, going to a new team and new city, it was hard for me to always choose joy. When you’ve been with one team your whole career, giving them all you’ve had, and suddenly they say that they want to go in a new direction without you, that can be scary. But God doesn’t make any mistakes, I knew that He was in control. Sometimes we don’t see the results or the reason for a situation right away, but whether we see those reasons right away, or later down the road, we can have a peace and joy knowing that God is Sovereign and His plan is perfect.

Someone in my life who really exemplifies a lifestyle of joy is my college friend, Darius Dunaway. Darius is a brother to me, we’ve been through a lot. He’s been through a lot. But despite his circumstances he is always joyous and passionate about serving Christ and others. People may not always understand where that constant joy comes from but when they see it, they want it. This is the kind of living example that I want to be—pointing others towards the hope and joy that I have in Christ.

—Demario Davis

Demario Davis is a regular contributor to The Increase and will be providing monthly articles and opinions.

Check out Demario’s Increase profile here: http://theincrease.com/author/demario-davis/     

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