I Need JOY STRENGTH to Be Mature; How About You?

     I did not want to commit myself to a 6 week study with a group of 5 other leaders training to lead groups on Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You. I knew what would happen. I would have to confront some sticky things in my life. I would have to ask someone to pray for me. I would have to let go of some things. But I did it, because I knew it was good for me, and it was time.
    The first time I saw a chart in the book, I realized I was quite immature in some areas of my life. I mean, I'm 61, for goodness' sake! I've gone through a few things in my life and survived. But I'm learning how low to non-existent was my JOY STRENGTH, and I was easily thrown backwards into depression and sadness...and emotional eating.
     So, I'm working on adding joy strength that will help me be able to weather the new and old tough places...to enable me to do the next hard stuff, whatever is needed for health and wholeness, and be able to return to joy.
     Here's what happened yesterday: I had a project at work and found myself at my desk, reading the material I had to summarize and put in a report, and feeling a great urge to eat, not work! I grabbed a notepad and wrote at the top: Why do I want to eat instead of work?
1. Because I don't know exactly how to do what I need to on this project.
2. It's a complicated story to condense and it's hard to do.
3. I want to do work that is fun and easy.
At the bottom of the page I wrote:  MATURITY?
     Then I had a new idea and quickly completed the project, and it was pretty good.    
     How simple to do...but how stuck I get!  
     Maybe you don't have issues about tackling challenges at work. But what about the challenging issues of your marriage or your relationships with your kids? What about doing the hard work of forgiving someone who has hurt you? What about the work of joining a community of people who love you, will walk with you, and who need you to walk with them in healing some of their old hurts?
     WE ARE MADE FOR JOY and we can find WHOLENESS IN COMMUNITY. I'm learning; will you join me?