Hi everyone it's Leslie Ludi host of the Set-A-Gerl podcast biblical encouragement for women of all ages.

Today I want to talk to you about one of the amazing secrets for finding joy and

it's something you might not expect, turning outward and serving others. This is something

I learned at an early age. I was about 18 years old and I had so many things in my life

to be grateful for. I had a wonderful family, wonderful church body.

God was unfolding an incredible love story with Eric in my life and yet a lot of the

time I found myself not really feeling completely happy feeling unsettled

feeling depressed and I wasn't really sure why. I remember talking with a woman who was

a godly older woman in my church that I really looked up to and just telling her

some of my struggles and asking her for any advice that she had and surprisingly she

said well it's very simple you need to be turning outward and serving others more and I was

taken aback by that because I thought well I serve my family and I do this

volunteer thing in my church and I've gone on a missions trip but my life

wasn't built around serving and pouring out for others.

And also I didn't really equate serving with a secret to finding joy.

I kind of thought that the more I focused on my own needs that's when I would

really gain the joy that I was seeking but she was saying as you turn

outward and focus on the needs of others that's when you will experience an

incredible sustaining lasting joy.

Letting God work through you and and use you as part of his body to serve others

is such an incredible joyful opportunity.

And so I begin to take that advice and just look for ways that I could live more of an outward

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