Choosing Joy

I lift up my eyes to the hills,
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord
who made the heavens and the earth.

In the ancient world, what people thought, what people said, what people did followed predictable patterns. More than simple habit behavior and attitudes became daily ritual. Blessings, prayers of thanksgiving, petitions to God were reduced to the kinds of statements one finds on bumper stickers these days.

Here’s how that worked. A person didn’t need to sit and pray for hours and hours. A person could simply say something like the sentences above while they were walking, doing housework, preparing a meal, working in the field. You could express communion and realize connection through the easiest and most commonplace activities in one’s day.

And the benefit was more than the feeling that one was doing what one ought to be doing. The benefit was the positive physical and mental impact of these seemingly simple exercises. Neuroscience has demonstrated the effect positive thinking has on the brain’s and body’s chemistry. Positive thoughts, positive feelings, positive beliefs release the kinds of hormones associated with joyfulness, happiness, peacefulness. The chemistry coursing through your bloodstream literally takes a turn for the better when you think positive thoughts.

This is true of course if you believe that something like joyfulness is preferred over anger or fearfulness. The body’s chemistry is equally affected by negative thoughts and the difference is measurable.

The people of the ancient world did not know anything about neuroscience. They just knew that happy thoughts were better for them than negative ones so they invented a way to practice joyfulness.

Today, we’re tempted to believe we’re living in the most cynical and depressing days of all. That’s true if we don’t have some kind of antidote. Here’s what I suggest. Turn off cable news. Start listening to the voice of the one who made the heavens and the earth. Start each day by answering this question:

What one thing could I do—think—believe—today, no matter how small, that would increase my joy?

Our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Thanks be to God!

~Harrell