The Joy Gap – 4

About this episode

This episode discusses how to close the Joy Gap by practicing gratitude, guarding thoughts, and staying connected to God.

How can you close the Joy Gap? The Joy Gap is the distance between what you expect from life or from your job or your relationships, and what you are experiencing. It’s the reality that even when things are good, when circumstances are favorable—even then they don’t bring the joy and satisfaction you expected. There’s a Joy Gap. But we’re not hopeless, we who are Christ-followers. We have the answer, but we have to put into practice what we know. Let me give you a few simple, practical ways to do that each day. First, practice gratitude. Joy and gratitude are closely connected. When you intentionally thank God for what he’s doing—even the small things—you shift your focus from what’s missing to what’s already been given. So often we just focus on the negatives, don’t we? It’s our sinful human nature that drives us that way, but we don’t have to be victims of that any longer. Be thankful. Speak words of thanksgiving all through the day, even if you don’t necessarily feel them. And refuse words of negativity. Be careful what you say to yourself. Second, guard your thoughts. If your mind is constantly filled with worry, comparison, or negative “what ifs,” your joy doesn’t stand much…

People in this episode

Host: Mary Lowman

Topics covered

• joy
• gratitude
• Christianity
• mindfulness
• spiritual growth

Keywords

• joy gap
• gratitude
• Christian faith
• spirituality
• mindfulness

More episodes of The Christian Working Woman

• The Joy Gap – 5 · May 8, 2026 · 3 min
• The Joy Gap – 3 · May 6, 2026 · 3 min
• The Joy Gap – 2 · May 5, 2026 · 3 min
• The Joy Gap · May 4, 2026 · 3 min
• Male/Female Relationships on the Job – I · May 2, 2026 · 14 min
• Authenticity – 5 · May 1, 2026 · 3 min