Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This proverbial question of the ages is an example of trying to figure how things come into being. How do things come into existence from seeming nothingness?

Having found no better explanation from any other source, I have come to believe that this happens as a result of sheer will. God wills things into existence. At His Discretion, He envisions it and it happens. Believe it or not, God gives us access to this very same power. While I always have been, currently am and always will be powerless left to my own devices, I do have God’s Power available to me.

Example? Of course!

I think we would all agree that we would like to have more joy in our lives. That would be great! How do we get our hands on joy? Well, we don’t. Joy gets its hands on us. Joy is not happiness. Happiness is getting what you want. Joy is the feeling that everything is the way it is supposed to be even when you don’t get what you want. Joy is the state of connection between us and our God and what that union produces. We create joy in the same way that God created us: by sheer will.

We make up our minds to acknowledge and enjoy our joy. When we are whelmed with the confident knowledge that God is in control of everything, that produces a feeling of euphoria and well-being that only God can generate. Joy is the byproduct of believing in and trusting God. By intentionally expressing and sharing joy with others, I actually create it. It springs from my willingness and desire to do it. With God’s Help, I can make it appear out of nowhere. This conscious decision generates plenty for all with a little left for me. Instant joy.
As such, I am the determining factor in how much joy that I have in my daily living. Unfortunately, I am also the determining factor in how much misery that I have in my daily living. I can bring misery to fruition just as fast as joy. I guess it comes down to how do I want to use God’s Power today. There is no chicken and egg conundrum here for me. I finally learned how it works and it works quite well.

Thank you
Jim

James A. Francetich is a freelance writer and author. The opinions expressed are solely of the author and do not represent any community based recovery programs, private or public entities or any governmental agencies.