Choose Joy

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

Proverbs 15:30

Do you really realize how your attitude affects those you meet every day?

Some days I understand that it is so tough to be joyful and bubbly and outgoing and loving. I understand all of that, but do you really realize how important a nice smile or a nice word can really make a difference in a person's life? 

I have to say I love my job. It's a tough job with some interesting personalities and days full of opportunities, but I love it. I also love the people I meet every day. Not just the nice little old ladies that compliment my smile or the younger generation that want my shoes or even the weird men that ignore the fact that I am wearing a wedding ring and "No sir, I will not move to New York with you and be your woman!". I love people. I even love the really hateful, cuss me up one side and down the other people that are just full of complaints and irritations. They all take a part in making my life interesting. 

When an angry person is spewing obscenities at me about a situation that is absolutely not my fault, it is really difficult to maintain a smile and courteous manner. There have been situations where customers have finished their spiel, realized that I have not flinched or lost my smile and stand there in utter amazement that I am not curled up in the fetal position under the counter crying. Sometimes this makes them even angrier, but SOMETIMES just SOMETIMES they stop, realize what they have said and changed their tone and apologized. I had one woman ask me "How do you just stand there and take it and not get frustrated?" I choose not to get frustrated. I choose to stand there, smile, and just let it roll. If I were to marinate in their hateful words, that would be an absolute waste of a moment that I could be filling with positive thoughts and expressions! (Enter puppy dogs and butterflies here.) 

In reality, I want to reach across the counter and grab some of them by the throat and ask them if they were raised by coyotes, (in so many words that do not please the Lord) but I refrain. The one thing that I always try to keep in mind is that I am in a lost and dying world full of people filled with hurt that has turned into hate. These people do not know joy or where to find joy. I choose to be joyful so that the question of where I received this joy would roll around in their minds and feed their need to find out where they can get a dose. 

The joy that you have in your heart should not be hidden or locked away. The very breath of life depends on what attitude you harbor when you walk out of your home and into the world in which we live. So many people need someone to smile at them or offer a kind word, because they never receive it at home. I love the phrase "You may be the only Jesus others see", because you may just be the only ray of Christ's love that other will ever see. 

On my computer at work:

Aspire to inspire before you expire. 

Lord, I thank You for the blessings in my life. I thank You for all the people that You allow to cross my path on a daily basis. It is my fervent prayer that You continue to let me be mindful of my attitude and whether or not I am being a true reflection of Your joy, love and peace. I pray that You give others the strength they need to be beacons of joy in even the most difficult situations. I thank You and praise You for all that You are and all that You do and all that You have done in my life and the lives of others when I have chosen joy.

Amen