There are Two Kinds of People in this World
"You get more joy out of giving joy to others, and should put a good deal of thought into the happiness you are able to give." Eleanor Roosevelt
So that quote struck me this morning. I am going through a little creative journal called 30 Days to Joy. For the most part, it's not been that deeply stimulating or challenging, but there are some good quotes in there.
So for the two kinds of people? The Joy Givers and the Joy Takers. And I'm sure faces can come immediately to mind for each category. You know those people who are almost annoyingly optimistic. They constantly see the good in everyone. You walk away after spending time with them and the world looks a little brighter and a little kinder, right after you get done being annoyed for their ever uplifted spirit.
And then you know the ones that just drain you after spending five minutes in their near vicinity. They whine and complain and talk incessantly about themselves and their problems. You walk away and want to go take a pill and sleep it off for awhile.
Okay, now I should back up a bit. To call these people Joy Givers and Joy Takers is to allow them too much freedom. I believe joy is a deeply personal thing that comes from a solid relationship with Jesus. It's rooted and grounded in being secure in His love. So I don't think one person can give or take your joy away unless you let them and then I would want to question your security in Jesus. Now that's a big mouthful. And by all means, do not expect me to have attained to that high standard. I haven't, not by a long shot. But you know those people who have attained that. Life doesn't ruffle them. They might not be the life of the party, but they are solid, rooted, and have a peace about them that passes understanding. They see the good around them. And they might be living an awful life, but you would never know it, because they have something eternal.
And again, if you are rooted in Jesus, the Joy Takers should not actually be able to steal your joy. However, you know those people that leave you drained. They leave you feeling a bit more negative about life, a bit more disgruntled, and a bit depressed.
So what do we do? Both kinds of people are going to be present in your world, possibly in your very direct vicinity. I'll tell you what I do, I gravitate toward the Joy Givers and I walk away from the Joy Takers. I'll also tell you this, I don't know that that's always the right response. If I'm being a Joy Taker, and I am at times, way too often, I need someone to call me out on it, not just walk away.
So while I have no conclusions to this discussion, I am walking away leaving it hanging. I am open to any ideas.
I do however want to be intentional about spreading joy wherever I go. To me, the bottom line is me. Ha, doesn't that sound self-centered? But really, it is my choice if I allow people to steal my joy or if I persevere in spreading joy. I need Jesus, I can't do it on my own. And we all know that if we spread a bit of joy and cheer to others, it improves our mood and mental stability by way more than it helps the other person.
So right now I need to go sign off and plan my joy giving day. I actually have a bit of a plan, what's yours? What are ways that you can spread joy to others? And not only what are the verbal plans, what is the physical action that is going to accompany it?
So that quote struck me this morning. I am going through a little creative journal called 30 Days to Joy. For the most part, it's not been that deeply stimulating or challenging, but there are some good quotes in there.
So for the two kinds of people? The Joy Givers and the Joy Takers. And I'm sure faces can come immediately to mind for each category. You know those people who are almost annoyingly optimistic. They constantly see the good in everyone. You walk away after spending time with them and the world looks a little brighter and a little kinder, right after you get done being annoyed for their ever uplifted spirit.
And then you know the ones that just drain you after spending five minutes in their near vicinity. They whine and complain and talk incessantly about themselves and their problems. You walk away and want to go take a pill and sleep it off for awhile.
Okay, now I should back up a bit. To call these people Joy Givers and Joy Takers is to allow them too much freedom. I believe joy is a deeply personal thing that comes from a solid relationship with Jesus. It's rooted and grounded in being secure in His love. So I don't think one person can give or take your joy away unless you let them and then I would want to question your security in Jesus. Now that's a big mouthful. And by all means, do not expect me to have attained to that high standard. I haven't, not by a long shot. But you know those people who have attained that. Life doesn't ruffle them. They might not be the life of the party, but they are solid, rooted, and have a peace about them that passes understanding. They see the good around them. And they might be living an awful life, but you would never know it, because they have something eternal.
And again, if you are rooted in Jesus, the Joy Takers should not actually be able to steal your joy. However, you know those people that leave you drained. They leave you feeling a bit more negative about life, a bit more disgruntled, and a bit depressed.
So what do we do? Both kinds of people are going to be present in your world, possibly in your very direct vicinity. I'll tell you what I do, I gravitate toward the Joy Givers and I walk away from the Joy Takers. I'll also tell you this, I don't know that that's always the right response. If I'm being a Joy Taker, and I am at times, way too often, I need someone to call me out on it, not just walk away.
So while I have no conclusions to this discussion, I am walking away leaving it hanging. I am open to any ideas.
I do however want to be intentional about spreading joy wherever I go. To me, the bottom line is me. Ha, doesn't that sound self-centered? But really, it is my choice if I allow people to steal my joy or if I persevere in spreading joy. I need Jesus, I can't do it on my own. And we all know that if we spread a bit of joy and cheer to others, it improves our mood and mental stability by way more than it helps the other person.
So right now I need to go sign off and plan my joy giving day. I actually have a bit of a plan, what's yours? What are ways that you can spread joy to others? And not only what are the verbal plans, what is the physical action that is going to accompany it?
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