Joy In The Midst
Anne Del Vecchio Teacher, Joy Conductor, Fairy Godmother
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Joy Trails - Here are two guides from my Joy In The Midst and Mad to Glad workshops. Feel free to print them out and use them. Join me for a workshop to learn more.
Joy Trail #1 Mad to Glad
A Godly Response to Anger
Angry? Start walking...Huff, huff, huff with scripture...
God's word says you can take control of your anger and bring about restoration.
STOP Just do it! James 1:19
THINK Test or Temptation Romans 8:28 and 1 Peter 5:8
PRAY Just ask God for help. Philippians 4:6-7
JUDGE SELF FIRST This is the tough one. Matthew 7:5
FORGIVE For your healing even if the other person hasn't changed. Matthew 6:14-15
BLESS May be hard but it is healing. I Peter 3:9
SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE Not in anger. Oh my! Ephesians 4:29
RESTORE GENTLY Now you are ready to talk. Galatians 6:1
GLAD MEADOW Rejoice!
A Godly Response to Anger
Angry? Start walking...Huff, huff, huff with scripture...
God's word says you can take control of your anger and bring about restoration.
STOP Just do it! James 1:19
THINK Test or Temptation Romans 8:28 and 1 Peter 5:8
PRAY Just ask God for help. Philippians 4:6-7
JUDGE SELF FIRST This is the tough one. Matthew 7:5
FORGIVE For your healing even if the other person hasn't changed. Matthew 6:14-15
BLESS May be hard but it is healing. I Peter 3:9
SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE Not in anger. Oh my! Ephesians 4:29
RESTORE GENTLY Now you are ready to talk. Galatians 6:1
GLAD MEADOW Rejoice!
Joy Trail #2 Joy in the Midst: "This is the day the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."
Struggling, depressed? Set aside a quiet time each day. Diligently read, contemplate and apply each step, one per day, then repeat, until you begin to notice God is changing you.
1. Live today! If you concentrate on your regrets and sorrows of yesterday, or long for a different tomorrow, you will miss out on every "today". Eph 3:14-21
2. Eyes Up. Look to God for strength and blessings, even if all you can manage today is to pray "Help!". Ps 86, IPeter 5:7, Ps 28:7, Phil 4:4-7
3. Accept Reality. This is oh so hard, but until we accept reality, we can not move on to wholeness. Look realistically at reality, what you can and cannot do to change it. Take the action you can, accept what you cannot change. Rom 5:1-4, IPeter 4:12
4. Journal your pain. Pour out your pain to the Lord in a private journal. Hold back nothing. Then ask for scripture to comfort you. Turn it over to God. Ps 69 (an example of Peter journaling his pain)
5. Grieve deeply. Cry, wail, run, talk to a friend. You cannot skip this step. Yet each day also tend to the other steps as well.Ps 31:7-9, Pv 14:30
6. Forgive. Forgiving someone sets you free to be better, not bitter. Call on the power of God to enable you to forgive. IJohn 2:9, Col 3:12-14
7. Choose joy. How many days of your life do you want to waste being miserable? To find joy in the midst of sorrow, you must set your mind to chosing it, looking for it, creating it. Phil 4:8, Josh 1:9
8. Count your blessings. Sometimes they are hard to see, but every morning list 10 blessings. Be thankful for them. Pv 21:21
9. No self-pity, no excuses. Self pity, even when we think we have a right to feel it, is a spiral down to despair. When the pity party starts playing in your head, say STOP IT. Fill the void with a blessing. Ps 27:13, IITim 1:7, Matt 6
10. Cheerful self-talk. Speak encouragement to yourself. Say "Yes, I can cope, with God's help. Yes, I can have joy again. Yes, I will find the goodness of God again in the land of the living." Phil 4:13
11. Let compliments in. We often refute any compliments, letting them bounce off of us, thus doing us no good. We need to soak them in by saying, "Thank you, I appreciate your encouragement." Pv 16:24
12. Cultivate laughter and smiling. Laughter is healing. Believe it or not, our body is healed even when we fake laughter and is encouraged even when we fake smiling. Fake laugh alone in the car until it is real again. Pv 15:30
13. Sing and dance. Play music that uplifts you and sing aloud. Dance around the room when you are alone. The mere doing so will lift your spirits. Col 3:16
14. Focus on the moment. Notice something right this moment that is soothing, beautiful, darling, funny, relaxing, good, comforting, loving. Then focus on it, savor it, absorb it for just this moment. I Thes 5:16
15. Take a mental vacation. Is there a place that made your spirit soar? Breath slowly in and out, close your eyes and think of that place for a few moments. Ps 121
16. Get up, get dressed nicely, go do something. Heartache often causes us to hunker down. Even if our actions are rote, doing something as simple as walking will bring us closer to cheer. Gal 6:9, Heb 10:25
17. Praise or compliment someone else. Reach out now. Each morning consciously think of someone to praise or appreciate. Speak words of encouragement to that someone. Eph 4:29, IIThes 2:16-17, Pv 12:25
18. Send an unexpected message. surprise someone with written words of appreciation, praise or encouragement. You will find joy comes to you as you seek to bring joy to another. IThes 1:2 and 3:9, Heb 3:3, Pv 15:23
19. Serve. As you volunteer to help another, your own sorrow will disappear (even if only for a time). Get out of the house and give of yourself in a way that you enjoy.Rom 12:9-16, Phil 2:1-5, IPeter 4:9
20. Share a meal. Make buy a frozen lasagna and packaged salad or hamburgers and invite friends into your home. Pain makes us withdraw, find joy by doing the opposite. Rom 12:14
Benediction: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
Struggling, depressed? Set aside a quiet time each day. Diligently read, contemplate and apply each step, one per day, then repeat, until you begin to notice God is changing you.
1. Live today! If you concentrate on your regrets and sorrows of yesterday, or long for a different tomorrow, you will miss out on every "today". Eph 3:14-21
2. Eyes Up. Look to God for strength and blessings, even if all you can manage today is to pray "Help!". Ps 86, IPeter 5:7, Ps 28:7, Phil 4:4-7
3. Accept Reality. This is oh so hard, but until we accept reality, we can not move on to wholeness. Look realistically at reality, what you can and cannot do to change it. Take the action you can, accept what you cannot change. Rom 5:1-4, IPeter 4:12
4. Journal your pain. Pour out your pain to the Lord in a private journal. Hold back nothing. Then ask for scripture to comfort you. Turn it over to God. Ps 69 (an example of Peter journaling his pain)
5. Grieve deeply. Cry, wail, run, talk to a friend. You cannot skip this step. Yet each day also tend to the other steps as well.Ps 31:7-9, Pv 14:30
6. Forgive. Forgiving someone sets you free to be better, not bitter. Call on the power of God to enable you to forgive. IJohn 2:9, Col 3:12-14
7. Choose joy. How many days of your life do you want to waste being miserable? To find joy in the midst of sorrow, you must set your mind to chosing it, looking for it, creating it. Phil 4:8, Josh 1:9
8. Count your blessings. Sometimes they are hard to see, but every morning list 10 blessings. Be thankful for them. Pv 21:21
9. No self-pity, no excuses. Self pity, even when we think we have a right to feel it, is a spiral down to despair. When the pity party starts playing in your head, say STOP IT. Fill the void with a blessing. Ps 27:13, IITim 1:7, Matt 6
10. Cheerful self-talk. Speak encouragement to yourself. Say "Yes, I can cope, with God's help. Yes, I can have joy again. Yes, I will find the goodness of God again in the land of the living." Phil 4:13
11. Let compliments in. We often refute any compliments, letting them bounce off of us, thus doing us no good. We need to soak them in by saying, "Thank you, I appreciate your encouragement." Pv 16:24
12. Cultivate laughter and smiling. Laughter is healing. Believe it or not, our body is healed even when we fake laughter and is encouraged even when we fake smiling. Fake laugh alone in the car until it is real again. Pv 15:30
13. Sing and dance. Play music that uplifts you and sing aloud. Dance around the room when you are alone. The mere doing so will lift your spirits. Col 3:16
14. Focus on the moment. Notice something right this moment that is soothing, beautiful, darling, funny, relaxing, good, comforting, loving. Then focus on it, savor it, absorb it for just this moment. I Thes 5:16
15. Take a mental vacation. Is there a place that made your spirit soar? Breath slowly in and out, close your eyes and think of that place for a few moments. Ps 121
16. Get up, get dressed nicely, go do something. Heartache often causes us to hunker down. Even if our actions are rote, doing something as simple as walking will bring us closer to cheer. Gal 6:9, Heb 10:25
17. Praise or compliment someone else. Reach out now. Each morning consciously think of someone to praise or appreciate. Speak words of encouragement to that someone. Eph 4:29, IIThes 2:16-17, Pv 12:25
18. Send an unexpected message. surprise someone with written words of appreciation, praise or encouragement. You will find joy comes to you as you seek to bring joy to another. IThes 1:2 and 3:9, Heb 3:3, Pv 15:23
19. Serve. As you volunteer to help another, your own sorrow will disappear (even if only for a time). Get out of the house and give of yourself in a way that you enjoy.Rom 12:9-16, Phil 2:1-5, IPeter 4:9
20. Share a meal. Make buy a frozen lasagna and packaged salad or hamburgers and invite friends into your home. Pain makes us withdraw, find joy by doing the opposite. Rom 12:14
Benediction: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
