Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.
Philippians 1:3–6
When Christ becomes our central focus—our reason for existence—contentment replaces our anxiety as well as our fears and insecurities. This cannot help but impact three of the most prevalent joy stealers in all of life.
First, Christ broadens the dimensions of our circumstances. This gives us new confidence. Chains that once bound and irritated us no longer seem so irksome. Our limitations become a challenge rather than a chore.
Second, He delivers us from preoccupation with others. This causes our contentment level to rise. Other people’s opinions, motives, and criticisms no longer seem all that important. What a wonderful deliverance!
Third, He calms our fears regarding ourselves and our future. This provides a burst of fresh hope on a daily basis. Once fear is removed, it is remarkable how quickly peace fills the vacuum. And when we get those three ducks in a row, it isn’t long before we begin to laugh again. What a way to live! Let me urge you not to let anything keep you from it.
Since it is your unalienable right to pursue happiness, I suggest that you get with it right away. For some, it is like breaking the spell you have been under for half your life, maybe longer.
To you I say, let go. Let go of your habit of always looking at the negative. Let go of your need to fix everybody else’s unhappiness. Let go of your drive to compete or compare. Let go of your adult children, especially your attempts to straighten out their lives. (I read recently that parents are never happier than their least-happy child. What a joy stealer!) Let go of all your excuses. And may I add one more? Let go of so many needless inhibitions that keep you from celebrating life. Quit being so protective . . . so predictable . . . so proper.
Far too many adults I know are as serious as a heart attack. They live with their fists tightened, and they die with deep frowns. They cannot remember when they last took a chance or risked trying something new. The last time they tried something really wild they were nine years old. I ask you, where’s the fun? Let’s face it, you and I are getting older—it’s high time we stop acting like it!
An edited adaption from Charles R. Swindoll, Laugh Again: Experience Outrageous Joy (Thomas Nelson, 1995), 58–59.
