Joy Blocker

A couple of lines from J.I. Packer in his book 'Great Joy' that got me thinking:

"Fifth, the practice of joy means losing your inhibitions. Some of us are so emotionally frozen that we never get close to anyone, and feel paralyzed with embarrassment when urged to loosen up. Inner restraints of this kind block out joy in our relationships both with other people (even our nearest and dearest) and with God."
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It's very easy if you're a bit of an introvert and a bit reserved (like myself) to just think 'that's the way God made me' and sort of nullify any need to push through your inhibitions. But these lines of text do reveal their tendency to block out some very positive emotions. They can put a false ceiling in place, and a shallow foundation. The great heights and depths of joy are beyond our grasp when we let our inhibitions dominate. We should be seeking to push that ceiling up, dig that foundation down, even if it's just little by little.