When I catch up with a slow truck in the left lane, I move over to the overtaking lane.  But all of a sudden I’m overwhelmed by an image in my rearview mirror.  There is this flaming red thing with hot yellow writing across the front, bearing down on me.   “You are in my way!” seems to be the scream emanating from the red faced monster.  It is obvious by the bumper-to-bumper proximity he is keeping, that the Matatu driver thinks I’m taking too long overtaking this truck.  Indeed if he could, he would push me right around the truck himself!

So what do I do?  If I’d had the confidence that this was a sane-driver situation, I would have moved over to the left lane and let him overtake both the slow truck and myself.  I cannot claim to understand the psyche of Matatu drivers, but this one thing I know - I do not know what he will do.  

So I take the only safe alternative I have - I stay right where I am.  If the driver would be patient, I reasoned silently, I would soon pass the truck and be out of his way.   Logic told me that quite possibly; the Matatu driver in his impatience might suddenly cut in front of me in the gap between my car and the truck.  If that happened to be the same time I moved over for him, we might certainly meet in the middle somewhere! Or maybe, something rose up inside me that wouldn’t put up with being bulldozed out of the way!  Whatever the case, I kept driving in the overtaking lane, guessing I was aggravating the Matatu driver behind me even further, but honestly at a loss regarding what else to do.   I highly suspected I’d get a reaction.

I wasn’t to be disappointed. All of a sudden the Matatu driver moves over to the left and races for the gap between my car and the truck. Of course he makes sure to overtake my car so close that he almost runs me off the highway.  To add insult to injury, the tout thrusts half of his body out of the window and wildly gestures, no doubt shouting something uncouth in my direction.   Of all the gall!  In an instant my mood is changed from pleasant to foul, from cheerful to gloomy, from relaxed to uptight.  Another small encounter on the road has managed, in a moment, to rob me of joy.  

Familiar – huh?  A friend of mine calls them joy-stealers.  I’ve adapted the term.  Joy-stealers - little incidents that come up every so often to dampen your mood and drain your vitality; sneaky imps that creep up on you and nip at your happiness.  They lie in wait for unguarded moments; they spring up when you are tired; they jump out when you are most vulnerable.  Often they are trivial experiences that for some reason take a great emotional toll and damage our otherwise positive outlook to life.

Yet if there is one thing we can all be certain of, it is that the state of joy and serenity are not guaranteed in this journey through life.  How do we deal with the joy stealers and retain our energy through it all?  How can we maintain a positive attitude when the task seems next to impossible?  What is the secret of moving on no matter what the day may bring?   

Firstly, Beware!  Awareness is half the victory.  Next, determine how you are going to respond beforehand.  The famed Apostle Paul suggests a revolutionary response to those who will believe.  I really like it; perhaps because it is so contrary to common thinking.  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  True joy comes from God, the Joy-Giver.  Yet even we who know this don’t always live in His joy because we have not learned this secret:  that joy is not a state we achieve but a choice we make – the choice to tap into His joy no matter our circumstances.  We must make up our minds to affect our environment and circumstances instead of being affected by them.

The choice to rejoice is a declaration of trust and faith in God.  It restores our joy and re-energizes our soul; it opens the way for divine help to come to us.   It says to Him, “I know you care even about the littlest details of my life.” And it’s true; God does care, not only for the eternal salvation of our souls, but also for the burdens of our mortal lives.  The profound thing is not that I choose the second cup.  No - it’s the fact that there is a choice; that in the midst of negative circumstance, big or small, we have a choice besides misery and gloom.  Choose joy.

About The Author: Makena Mwithia has a wealth of writing experience. She is an avid reader and insightful writer, and loves working with children.

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