Here’s the wisdom for how to have peace and joy all the time, in every moment:
Everything in this day and age is always about working towards some future goal that will “eventually” bring you “peace and joy”. But truly, life is literally about peace and joy now, and you should be experiencing that peace and joy every moment of every day, regardless of goals, and you can, and it’s free (don’t think about tomorrow’s peace and joy, experience right now’s peace and joy. Then when tomorrow comes, enjoy that day’s peace and joy. Live in the now – not in “tomorrow”: Matthew 6:34 — “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Therefore do not be consumed by tomorrow’s peace and joy, for tomorrow will have its own peace and joy. Sufficient for the [current] day is its own peace and joy):
In life, you’re either:
- Working
- Resting alone
- Fellowshipping with others
There’s a method of working that actually gives birth to peace and joy: it’s slow, steady and methodical; deeply focused on the task at hand; one step at a time, one day at a time in small, manageable portions; gentle, patient and self-controlled, quiet. There’s never a good occasion to rush. Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, here a little, there a little.
While resting alone (doing nothing alone), you can find peace in just hanging out with the Lord, listening to the stillness and quietness, meditating on the ways of God.
Joy naturally comes from righteous and loving fellowship with all others – family, friends and strangers. And it’s free and can be done any time.
Take notice of how none of the above includes the desires for food/drink (the lust of the flesh) or possessions (the lust of the eyes).