By Shannon Marshall

Every morning, I wake up early to go on a walk. After I started doing this, my dogs Rudy and Bentley started to notice. Soon after they wanted to walk too.

So many times I don’t feel like going for my morning walk, but I look down and see my little dog Bentley wagging his tail ready for his morning walk.

Something that seemed like a chore for me at the time brought him so much joy.

How do we have joy even when we shouldn’t? The reality of your circumstances does not determine your experience. This is joy. Bring joy wherever you go. Go about doing good. Bring joy to other people’s lives. Wherever you go, bring joy.

Sometimes God brings us out of our comfort zone to get up and doing something. The alarm clock in the morning wakes you up out of comfort to get you up and doing something with your day.

We like comfort. Sometimes God lets things come into our life to get us moving. God allowed persecution in the church in Acts to send the church out and get them moving. They brought joy wherever they went.

Give your joy away. Yours won’t dissipate. It will grow. Sometimes He puts us in dark places to bring the light. Let joy radiate through you!

It is a joy for Bentley to go on a morning walk. It is a chore for me, but it gives me joy to bring him joy. Somebody in your life needs your joy.

Don’t let circumstances or situations take your joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength. How will the world know Jesus if we don’t show Him to the world? Jesus gave your joy. Don’t let anyone take it .