Enjoyment of life is not based on enjoyable circumstances. It is an attitude of the heart. Even little things have a part in the over all big picture of life. Therefore we are admonished to give thanks in all things (I Thessalonians 5:18). If our enjoyment of life depends on circumstances or people, we will seldom have joy. Someone said that lemons can either make us sour or we can turn them into lemonade. Some do not enjoy life because they don’t enjoy most of the people in their life. If we are always trying to change people instead of accepting them the way they are and letting God work in their lives, we probably won’t enjoy life.

There is nothing as tragic as being alive and not enjoying life. Jesus came to give life overflowing. I wasted some of my earlier years because I did not know how to enjoy where I was, while on the way to where I was going. I was so focused on the destination that I did not enjoy the journey. It was like some of the vacation trips I have taken. God wants us to slow down and smell the roses – enjoy the scenery.

In America there is an abundance of everything and yet there are more unhappy people than ever before. We will never enjoy life unless we make a decision to do so. Satan wants to steal your joy. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “the joy of the lord is our strength”.

It may sound simplistic but someone once summed up joy with the following acrostic: “J – Jesus first; O – others second; and Y – yourself last”. Let’s consider this briefly.

J – put Jesus first. God wants us to have fun in the Son (John 10:10). When we give Jesus first place in our life (Romans 10:9), harmony and joy begin to flow out of our innermost being (John 7:38). The psalmist David said, “I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad; and my glory rejoices. In Thy presence is fullness of joy” (Psalms 26:7-11).

Sin robs us of joy. “Happy is the man whose sin is forgiven” (Psalms 32:1). David realized this. After committing a grievous sin he prayed a prayer of repentance and was restored. “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” (Psalms 51:10-13). When we receive Christ as Savior and are forgiven, Jesus said that all of heaven rejoices.

We must believe that God wants us to experience enjoyment in our souls. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, that my joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be full measure and complete and overflowing” (John 15:1 Amplified Bible).

O – others come second. Jesus said that He did not come to be served but “to serve, and give His life a ransom for many”. There is joy in serving others. How you view and treat others will also determine how you enjoy life. “He who despises his neighbor sins, but happy is he who is gracious to the poor (Proverbs 14:21). Selfishness, greed, a wrong attitude, resentment, and unforgiveness toward others steals the joy out of your life.

Y – put yourself last. Jesus first, others second, yourself last. The old Pogo comic strip has Pogo on a scouting mission behind enemy lines. He relays a message back to headquarters, “We have sighted the enemy and he is us!” The real enemy to our joy and enjoyment of the journey is not so much circumstances or other people, but ourselves – our attitude and thinking.

Two of the tools the devil uses to steal our enjoyment are regret and dread. Many people stay trapped in the past. The best thing we can do about past mistakes is to ask God’s forgiveness, forget the mistake, and move on. Paul said, “This one thing I do, forgetting those things that lie behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before” (Philippians 3:13, 14).

Some people live in dread of tomorrow. Dread and regret has ruined the lives of countless people. Dreading things can become a habit of laziness, lethargy, procrastination, and foster fear. If you fit this category, change your attitude. “Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today.” Don’t worry about tomorrow, enjoy today! Jesus said, “Take no thought for tomorrow; for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself” (Matthew 6:7). Even though it is good to have goals and plans, live in the now, enjoy today not just the future.

God says to you, “Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you, He will fight for you” (Deuteronomy 1:29, 30).

Are you having fun yet? God wants you to enjoy the journey. Like David, make the Lord your Shepherd. Enjoy His provision, protection, and companionship. (See Psalms 23.) Jesus calls, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hears my voice I will come into him and sup with him and he with me: (Revelation 3:20).