The Path To Joy

by Feb 11, 2018Sermon, Waterline

At some point in our lives, we are all going to experience negative emotions. That’s right. Suffering will come. And the emotions associated with suffering…guilt, shame, sadness, despair, anger…they will follow. What we do with these emotions says a lot about our relationship with God. Regardless of your current emotional health, there is a step you can take right now. It’s called joy. And it is possible in all circumstances if you know where to find it. This week, we will explore the source of joy as we seek to live in an emotionally and spiritually healthy way.

Discussion Questions

Regarding your own emotional health, where do you find yourself on the spectrum of stoicism (suppressing emotions) to emotionalism (ruled by emotions)?

How would you rate your ability to see beyond the circumstances in front of you? As you look at the words Paul wrote in Romans 5, how does this path apply to the painful or difficult situations in your life?  Can you remember a time where a situation produced hope like he describes?

What are some things people know you as?  How are you identified? Do you tend to find your identity and place your hope in those labels?  Why or why not?

What does choosing joy look like for you right now? What is your plan to either be prepared for suffering or to deal with the suffering you are in at the moment? How will you engage with your suffering rather than ignore it?

Panel Interview

This final part of the series will be a panel interview with four professional psychologists who attend LifePoint. Joe Duke will moderate. This interview will take the place of the sermon slot. Joe will summarize the series then introduce the panel will introduce...

The Destruction of Shame

There’s an enemy that lurks just below the surface of our lives. Its influence can be debilitating and even deadly. It may be Evil’s primary tool for rendering us ineffective and defeated. And no one is immune to its whispers. But this enemy can be conquered in ways...

Processing Our Pain

Our culture would rather avoid emotional pain and suffering than engage it. These experiences are treated as obstacles to living life to its fullest. Yet when we look back at our lives it’s usually the difficult events that have shaped us the most. Far from getting in...

Breathing Under the Water

After we realize there is life below the surface, we can then learn to breathe under the water. In other words, we can learn to swim in the real world of our emotions. Being in touch with our emotions means that we understand that our past affects our present and our...

What’s Below the Surface?

So much of your energy may be spent maintaining your life on the surface—your physical needs, your appearance, your life experienced through your five senses. But there’s a world that lies below the surface of your life too—a part of you that can often get ignored or...