7 Tips On How To Enjoy Life The Godly Way

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Does God want us to enjoy life? Many of us think all He wants is for us to suffer, trial after trial. After all, life seems to be much more fulfilling for some, while there are others who continue to struggle through challenges. These challenges we face make it difficult to understand just how to enjoy life. That is why we may wonder: is life truly meant for us to enjoy? Yes, life is most definitely made for us to enjoy! In fact, God instructed us in Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 that we are meant to enjoy our lives and relish in the fruits of our labor.

But, are we truly enjoying life the godly way?

I, for one, sometimes wonder about that myself. Am I enjoying life the way God intended me to? God provides me with everything I need, but am I making good use of those blessings He showers me with? People have different stances on how to live their lives. Most that we see are very self-centered and it is all about improving themselves or working to become the best at something. And others choose to live a life helping people around them.

But personally, I think the best approach to enjoying life is by living it as Christ’s follower. This teaches me how to enjoy everyday to the best of my abilities. Without a doubt, life is good but it can be even greater when we put God at the center of our lives. When we make God’s will our will, that’s when we can know how to enjoy life the godly way and enjoy living again despite what life throws at us.

How To Enjoy Life The Godly Way

Enjoying life the way God intends for you is not about waiting for something to happen. It’s not when you receive good news, like becoming a parent or getting a promotion. God wants us to enjoy life now, and every waking moment of our lives. This is easier said than done, though. There are many situations in our lives that can easily cause us to wonder if God wants us to enjoy life. Because we tend to conflate happiness and joyfulness.

1. Knowing The Difference Between Happiness And Joyfulness

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Yes, there’s a difference between happiness and joyfulness. Happiness is achievable in our lives on Earth, it happens to us. Happiness is the feeling that we seek and pursue in life. In other words, happiness is rooted in our circumstances. When it is good, we feel happy. But, joy on the other hand is a choice that we purposefully make, regardless of our circumstances. Joy is an attitude of the heart and our spirit. Notice how the Fruit of the Spirit highlights joy and not happiness?  This is because God wants us to be joyful, not happy.

To be joyful in life means we are able to have peace in difficult times. To be joyful is to take comfort in uncertainty knowing that God has a future planned out for you. So, really, joy does not need a smile on one’s face. You can cry and get upset, and still be joyful.  You can not be happy, and still, be joyful. And everyone, regardless of faith, can have joy. That is why enjoying life is not about what we do, but it’s a lifestyle.

2. Acknowledge God’s Gifts For You, And Thank Him For Them

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God’s gifts for us can take shape in different forms. Some are gifted with talents, others are blessed with significant opportunities in life. It can also come in the form of our personality traits – how some are able to empathize more, how are blessed with the wisdom to provide advice to others. Some of us are more privileged than others, and that’s okay. Because God created us to be different but all the same as well – we are created in His image (Genesis 1:27, Genesis 9:6). No matter the gift He has blessed us with, we are gifted to be more like God.

So, acknowledge His gift for you! When you acknowledge His blessing, you are acknowledging that God continues to provide for you. Enjoy life by enjoying what God has given you, so long as you remember to thank Him for all you have today. We can thank the Lord through a thankful prayer of gratitude, and with this, we still get to place Him at the center of our lives. After all, these gifts are things to enjoy in life and they are because of Him, so it feels only right that we place him at the center of enjoying these gifts as well.

3. Submit Yourself To God In Both The Good And The Bad

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It’s okay to not be okay. We all have our bad days, and sometimes dark days too. But in everything, remember that our God is faithful. He is always with us, especially in difficult times. We are never truly alone because the Lord is always watching over us. You’ve never been and never will be abandoned. Knowing how to enjoy life means knowing that we can turn to God, in both the good times and the bad.

So, allow yourself to enjoy the good times, but also allow yourself to feel pain. Something I always need to remind myself is to never invalidate how I feel, no matter how “shallow” or “insignificant” my current problems seem to be. Our struggles and the emotions that come with them are all valid, and God knows it. As we put God in the center of our joy, He is also there in the midst of our pain. It’s through Him that are we able to overcome the challenges that are thrown at us.

4. Count Your Blessings

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Allow yourself to enjoy life because this is what God wants for us (Philippians 4:4). He provides us with so much because He wants us to be happy. Enjoy yourself as you go about your day, and remember to enjoy every day with even the littlest of things in mind. Appreciating the food on your table, the good weather we have, and even just waking up in the morning can teach us how to enjoy life every day. Contentment is everywhere with God in our lives. Count and share your blessings because it’s the will of God to do so (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

5. Regularly Seek Repentance

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Seeking repentance through prayer from God frees our hearts and gives us peace. This ultimately allows us to live life to the fullest because we’re no longer imprisoned by our sins. Through Jesus Christ, we are free. None of us are above asking for forgiveness, especially when it comes to living life the way God wanted us to. In making a habit out of renewing our relationship with the Lord through repentance, we free ourselves from the errors of our ways. Without these transgressions holding us down, we become freer to enjoy life with God.

6. Be Patient

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Good things come to those who wait. Thus, we need to learn to be patient, as we are all living out God’s will. We have to keep going on because things will fall into place in due time (2 Chronicles 15:7). Patience teaches us how to enjoy life in God’s name. Regardless of where you are in life, good things are bound to come your way. So have faith and put your trust in the Lord, as this is all a part of His plan.

Waiting to see what God has in store for you can be a long and arduous process. But as is the case with other instances where I struggle, I turn to God for help through prayer. I ask Him to grant me patience because I know – through my faith in Him – that He will give me everything I deserve (and more) in due time. After all, God’s promises in the Bible are true and everlasting.

7. Accept Reality and Stop Looking Back

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There’s always a temptation to look back from time to time. It becomes much more tempting to look back when we are going through trials and tribulations. Especially when our lives today are lacking, when expectations are not what we’ve hoped for. All the “what-ifs” and the “maybes” can get the better of us. But focusing on what we had and not what we have now just brought more discontentment. How we can enjoy life does not begin with packing our bags and how we can go back into the past.

Enjoy what you have. We have to accept reality as it is. Enjoying life and being content is not possible until we acknowledge and accept that God does not create a future for us to prosper in our flesh and earthly circumstances. Instead, we need to accept that life is about God, not us. We may plan our way, but God plans our steps (Proverbs 16:9), and He will continue to guide us as we march forward. When we can grasp that, we will finally understand why we need to stop looking back at the past when we have so many things to look forward to in the future.

Now That You Know How To Enjoy Life With God…

Contentment and a sense of fulfillment can be found anywhere with God watching over us. Everything we do is in His name; our joy comes in glorifying Him as the center of our lives. We will learn how to enjoy life once we learn to enjoy God in everything we do. So, go out and enjoy your life! It’s what God wants for us, as life is meant to be enjoyed. But never forget: true joy can only be found in the Lord.