I started the year full of anticipation, ready to see what the year brought. January is like that, full of hope and dreams.
A few years ago, I chose to look for JOY. I didn’t know what it would look like.
I expected a lightness that would be easier to discern. Maybe I expected to be floating. Who knows? The thing I do know? God likes to surprise us. I’ve found joy in the last few weeks, but it hasn’t always been light and airy. Maybe this is the secret to deep heart joy. Maybe it is finding joy in the hard things that changes the heart.
1. I got to hold each of my not-so-little littles this week. Yes, it involved hard moments that I’d rather not have. But I got to hold them. To wrap my arms around them without the need to get something done.
2. Colder days mean cozy reading by the fire. I’ve missed the sunshine and the grey landscape gets old after the snow melts, but words make me happy.
Finding joy in the hard things changes the heart. Share on X3. People I love are safe. I’ll just say that mental illness is a beast, and watching someone you love battle is heartbreaking. But today, knowing people I love are as safe as they can be brings me a somber joy.
4. Things are unknown but I’m seeking God, and that feels good.
5. I am grateful to be past the baby years. They were beautiful years, but sleep is not overrated.
6. Laughter is a wonderful thing. I made time to laugh with friends, and it was worth it.
7. Goals feel good, but grace feels better.
#7 – Goals feel good, but grace feels better. Don't miss 9 more Hidden Joys! Share on X8. What someone else sees as strange in me, I’m beginning to see as beautiful. Giving myself that permission feels like exhaling.
9. Time with my husband is always worth it. It may not look like a storybook, but it’s ours and that makes me happy.
10. The confirmations God puts in my day when I am feeling unsure. Recognizing these little things build my faith, but more than that, they build my relationship with God.
These joys were hard to find. I had to think and dig and face the hard things to find the joy in them. If that’s what it takes to have joy that runs deep, maybe it is worth it.
What joy do you need to look for today?
