Conquering the Winter Blues: How I Found Joy When I Least Expected It
I’ve heard it said, “Right actions will create right emotions.” I was banking on this principle on a chilly winter day. I live in an area where the winter blues are a real issue. The lack of sunlight and below-freezing temperatures can make your body feel stiff and your mind feel cold. I had signed up for a workshop called “Joyful Dance,” which combined worship music and dance, even though I didn’t want to be there. I was convinced that changing out of my cozy sweater and dancing around a chilly auditorium would be torturous.
However, I forced myself to step into the auditorium, knowing I wouldn’t have the courage to sneak out once I was seen. I changed into my workout attire and found my place in the semicircle of smiling ladies. I didn’t want to be there and mentally listed all the reasons why this was a stupid idea. Why am I forcing myself to do this? The leader smiled at me with genuine kindness, and I managed to smile back. Her little gesture sparked a glimmer of warmth within me.
As the music began, I forced myself to keep up with the group. After the first song, I was no longer cold. With the next song, I felt life coursing through my veins. I started to pay attention to the lyrics and focused on the goodness of God in my life. The song lyrics prompted me to search the catalog of my mind for evidence of His redemptive work in my life, and the evidence was overwhelming. My mindset experienced a paradigm shift, and I found true joy in that auditorium.
But what is joy? I knew it went beyond just an emotion, so I decided to explore its meaning. This search led me to a myriad of related words such as gladness, thanksgiving, and so on. The archaic word “gladness” stood out to me because we don’t use it very often anymore, leading me to Psalm 16:11: “You will make known to me the way of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
In this psalm, David prophesies about one of his descendants who would not see death but would sit on the throne forever – the Messiah! This is why he concludes Psalm 16 with this verse. Why was David filled with the fullness of joy? His soul was infused with the hope of the resurrection of the Messiah, which set his mind right and filled him with joy, as it was revealed to him what God was going to do. This path of life, or highway of God’s vibrant plan, filled him with an abundance of “simcha” or “gladness.”
Acts 2:28 quotes this psalm in Peter’s sermon to a large crowd gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost. He was sharing the gospel with the Jewish people in the aftermath of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) crucifixion, calling them to repentance. Here, the word for joy is translated as “good cheer, joy, mirth, gladness of heart” from “euphrosune” – where “eu” means "well," and “phren” refers to "the mind." This is rendered as "gladness" in Acts 2:28 (RSV; AMP translates it as "joy") and Acts 14:17.[1] It made perfect sense to me – wellness of the mind. When we see God’s beautiful plan of redemption in Scripture, it puts our mind at peace and fills it with delight.
This concept made perfect sense in real time because I had just experienced it. I chose to recognize God’s redemptive work in my life, and the more I noticed it, the more my mind encountered the “fullness of joy.” We encounter His bright, smiling countenance when we look for Him.
“You have made known to me the ways of life; You will fill me [infusing my soul] with joy with Your presence” (Acts 2:28 Amplified Bible).
I left the workshop with a renewed mind, and the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that choosing joy is a discipline that needs to be practiced. Our bodies require movement, and our minds need training. What we choose to focus on will become our destination, reinforcing the idea that "Right actions will create right emotions."
Written by Kori, Life in Messiah staff
Do you live in a climate where the winter blues threaten to keep your physical and mental energy levels at a perpetual low? What are some ways you can stay active and motivated – individually or with a group?
Setting his mind on God’s redemptive plan filled David’s heart with joy. Take some time to meditate on Psalm 16 this week, especially if you are feeling weary, and allow God’s Word to renew your mind (Romans 12:2).
Psalm 16:10 is an incredible prophecy about Messiah being raised again from the grave. Is there a Jewish friend with whom you can share what you’ve been reading in the Scriptures? Pray that God would provide an opportunity for you to point your friend to the Source of true joy.
Endnotes:
[1] See https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?topic=VT0001197.