JOY
I can’t rely on external things to remedy the broken within. Within is where everything begins, and one’s inner conditions compass their outward paths. I recently came across an image that read, ‘happiness is where you find it.’ While I understand the inspiring intent behind this, I find the anonymous quote misleading.
I believe that one wouldn’t bother searching for happiness if they had joy; while both words get used interchangeably, happiness is more of a fix and a seasonal redress, whereas joy is eternal since it derives from the Creator.
Happiness is of this world. Joy isn't, and neither is that infinite spirit who, in the words of Bobby Seale, ‘put this shit into motion.’ [While Seale, at the time, spoke of Dr. Huey P. Newton rather than God, I think you get the idea; I hope, at least.] In any case, the sacred text tells us that the joy of the Messiah is our strength and that He completes us.
We wither as branches without the true vine from whom all life flows, and so does everything that does not come from it or falls away. The quote, ‘happiness is where you find it,’ instead should encourage us to grow introspective on our quest to find joy; if one is not joyful or at peace within themselves, they won’t be no matter where they go or what they do. Surely, moods change more often than not during the day, and things outside ourselves can influence that shift.
But if your positivity, pleasance, and peacefulness depend upon your settings or the people around you, that’s happiness, not joy. Of course, some people in our lives are conduits of inspiration; however, their purpose there would prove futile if we did not peer inward and reexamine our patterns.
The Bible also says we’re required to be doers of the Word and not just hearers; that principle applies to life beyond scripture, too. One can read self-help books until their eyes bleed, attend church or therapy, and sign up for all the masterclasses, events, and seminars they can stand, but if they hesitate in doing the internal work, it defeats the purpose.
As I told you before, within is where everything begins, but it is also where things reach an end; we can choose to conclude a cycle at any time but will not move forward until we’re tired of being where we are, knowing that we are better than our current position. I think the Universe only intervenes when we overstay our welcome in futile chapters.
The Creator knows that you are better than what you portray and perceive of yourself, for He made you in His image; He’s waiting on you to remember that. Hell, no pun intended, but even Satan knows who you are, which is the reason he pulls every trick in the book to hook your mind, heart, and spirit, so you don't reach God’s best for your life. He’s that crab at the bottom of a barrel that DuBois wrote about in The Souls of Black Folk, always trying to pull you down because that’s where he is. And albeit, that’s where some people are, too.
I pray productive self-reflection and spiritual tunnel vision over every eye that sees this. Stay in your lane, focusing only on things that satisfy your soul, and look to the Creator for guidance on how to use them for good, which, in essence, is His glory. Believe me, in doing this, and revoking all fruitless patterns, you will abide in joy, and it, in you.
