A good habit called........... JOY!

One day, I was in the buttery located in my college, revising and waiting for my paper, I had an exam that day. And in my institution, during those periods, the buttery is usually filled up. Firstly, I was very hungry, secondly, I was very exhausted like never before and thirdly, I was extremely cranky. The waiting line didn’t even make me feel better because the queue was too long for me to stand and wait, so I managed to find a small corner at the extreme end of the buttery where I could sit before it got to my turn. After waiting patiently for almost an hour, at long last the buttery was finally getting empty, I stood up to buy some snacks and a drink to just comfort myself with. Unfortunately for me, the sales woman there was the meanest person I have ever met in the cause of my entire life. You couldn’t even meet a worse complainer like her. She had the worse attitude I had ever seen, she complained endlessly about the money I had offered, and her not having any change for me. Whereas the basket in which she kept the sales money, from where I was standing, I could see that she could just make a little compromise for me, but this wonderful lady didn’t budge one bit. She even insulted me on top of it all. My body all of a sudden became very hot, tears already in my eyes, and I couldn’t contain it anymore! Left to me, that day, what I was thinking was how to attempt murder… I couldn’t have been in a worse mood than I was then, I was mad at the world. At the end this ruined my whole day, everything anybody said or did that day offended me..…
What am I saying in essence?
A lot of Christians meet people like that and go through much worse and have no idea how to react positively, but at the same time, we choose what should control us. We always have a choice. There’s this saying I heard some time ago, ‘he who angers you controls you, especially the person that does so intentionally’.
Therefore, if we find ourselves in those kinds of difficult situations, especially the kind I found myself in that day, let no one steal your joy… you never know the battles people are fighting, making them that way. You have to develop the habit of joy and happiness no matter what. Keep a positive outlook! Joy shouldn’t depend on your circumstances; it should be a choice you make!
Looking back, I wish I could change the approach I took on that day, maybe told her how God loves and cares for her, and how he wants her to be joyful, or I should I have spiced it up by making a joke to cheer her on! It would have made a whole lot of difference. Be like a proton! Always positive!

Nehemiah 8:10b says: This day is holy to God, don't feel bad. The joy of God is your strength( MSG ).