Finding Your Joy

Yesterday was a beautiful day.  The sun was shining down on the breathtaking colors of nature that all the trees were giving off.  There were white, puffy clouds in the sky.  The air was crisp but not too cold.  Leaves were lining all sides of the street.  Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?  There’s only one problem.  I didn’t notice the beauty in the moment.  I was having a rough day.  I had work that was piling up and kids who both needed help with math (did I mention I am AWFUL at math?)  All followed by me putting on my “Uber” hat as I ran my kids to and from their sports activity.  Making dinner finally much later than I would have liked, I. WAS. EXHAUSTED.  And cranky (or so all the men in my life tell me).  Enter today with the rain and clouds and downright chill to the bone feeling that everyone has.  As I stare out my window, it suddenly hit me just how beautiful yesterday was.  How often do I miss the gifts that God wraps up for me all nice and neat and places right before me?  Why did it take a miserable, nasty day to make me realize just how magnificent yesterday really was?  Even in the midst of everyday life, the hustle and bustle, the traffic jams, the dinner at 8 pm, THERE ARE STILL JOYS!  And darn it if I didn’t miss them all yesterday! 

James 1:2-4 says:

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  4 Let perseverance finish its works so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

CONSIDER IT JOY!  The work, the math frustrations, the fatigue, the overwhelming “mom” feeling we all get at some point…it’s all JOY!  It’s not easy to fight off those feelings of anger, sadness, and the other vast array of emotions we often feel, but we CAN and we SHOULD!  Because I bet if you look hard enough, you’ll see something special.  A slight hug when your teenager leaves the room after you’ve helped with that Algebra equation.  Or your whole family eagerly gobbling down the meal you spent time preparing and praising you for just how delicious it was.   Or watching a sleeping baby stretch and groan in that perfect way only a new little one could that literally makes your heart skip a beat.  There are always joys, my friends.  We just have to be willing to open our eyes and stretch out our hands to accept the gifts God is placing before us.  Keep pressing on, sweet moms….and keep those eyes open.  The gifts await you. 

Blessings,

Nikki

PS  - Want to earn a free bottle of Young Living Joy this month?  Just head over to our oils page and sign up to become a wholesale member and I’ll send you a free bottle!   And join my event on Facebook celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas as I give away lots of great YL products to celebrate the season!