I am always looking for people who are joy carriers. Joy carriers are people who are positive and upbeat no matter what is going on. When you hang around them, they just breathe joy and delight into you and you are encouraged and lifted up. On the other hand, there are people who are joy killers. They are always negative, see the down side of everything, and when you are around them, they just suck the joy and life right out of you. I remember not long ago when I was going through a little time of losing my joy and just starting to grumble and complain a little bit. I shared some things that were going on in my life with a close friend, and he said to me, “You know what your problem is? You are spending too much time around some joy killers whose negativity and critical spirit and joyless lives are sucking the joy out of you. That’s not their fault. That’s yours.” He said, “You love the joy killers the best you can and be sweet to them, but don’t hang around them too much. Go and find some happy, joy-filled, positive, upbeat people and hang around them, and you will be cured.” He was right. I found some joy carriers, and my life was filled with joy again. The writer of Proverbs says, “The glad heart makes a happy face.” Make sure you steer clear of those death eaters who suck the joy right out of you. If you are joy-challenged right now, find you some smiling, happy face, glad, delighted joy carriers and hang around them.
– Dr. Tim Thompson