Do you ever start your day full of joy and ready to take on the world, only to find that, as the day goes on, your joy has slowly slipped away?

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Several years ago, I read the book Be Joyful by Warren Wiersbe. In the first chapter, he details four things that steal our joy.

1. Circumstances. Last weekend, I had several activities planned. When my older daughter got sick on Friday night, those plans went out the window. This happens often in our daily lives; we face an unpleasant situation and allow our joy to be snuffed out by the undesirable circumstances that surround us. If we can remember to trust God and submit to His ultimate control of every situation, we can hold on to our joy.

2. People. Hopefully, few – if any- people would intentionally steal our joy, but perhaps a thoughtless comment or even a bad attitude from a family member, friend, or neighbor drains the joy from our hearts. There are times when we are forced to deal with someone who’s unpleasant or who reacts negatively to us.  Often our response in the moment determines whether or not they can take away our joy.  In these situations, we need the fruit of the Spirit to help us respond sweetly and patiently.

3. Things. Plain-old covetousness can be a reason for our lack of joy. Whether it’s other people’s possessions, families, position, (or even their blog!), desiring what someone else has makes us unhappy and joyless. Learning to be content, no matter our state, can cause our joy to remain.

4. Worry. This one came into play over the weekend as well. Monitoring my daughter’s high temperature throughout Friday night caused me to worry. When she didn’t bounce back from her illness as quickly as I thought she should, more worry began to push away my joy. Even though I attempt to “cast all my care upon Him,” I still seem to think worry is part of my duty. Often, if I will live in today instead of in the future, I can focus on maintaining joy.

It would be lovely to say that since I recognize these joy-stealers, I am able to stand against them and continually live in joy. I’m afraid that’s not the case. Yet as I continue to grow in Christ, I trust that through His strength and by meditating on His Word, I can recognize and battle these joy-stealers when they attempt to enter my life.

Do you sometimes struggle with one of these joy-stealers?

The original version of this post was published on 2/24/10.

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If the day is long and my temper is short….He is enough.

For those nights when I put my head on the pillow and can only think about the failures of the day….He is enough.

When I’m sure my kids will be less than they could be due to my failures as a mom….He is enough.

After the words slipped out of my mouth and I wish I could snatch them back….He is enough.

While I’m carrying a burden and life’s lost some of its joy….He is enough.

During those seasons when I’m feeling all alone….He is enough.

As my prayers seem unanswered and my struggles seem to grow….He is enough.

The problem is, I want to be enough.  In my own strength and self-sufficiency, I want to be enough to meet the challenges of the day.  That is where the conflict lies.

Am I willing to let God be enough, to fill in the gaps where I fall short, to be my all-in-all, to rest in His working in me?

May He give me the grace to do so.

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” ~Psalm 90:2

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“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”  ~Philippians 2:13

What is God working in you today?

As a person, is He calling you to serve, to rest, to reach out to a friend or a stranger?

As a wife, is He calling you to meet a need of your husband that you’ve neglected, calling you to pray for your husband in a specific area, calling you to forgive an offense?

As a mom, is He calling you to lovingly correct your child’s disobedience, to take the time to sit and listen to her with your full attention, to let go of your worries and allow new freedoms?

As a Christian, is He calling you to be still in His presence, to stretch into a new ministry opportunity, to confess a sin you’ve been struggling with?

God does the work in us.  What a comfort that is!  The question, then, is will I let Him do His work in me that I might accomplish His will and bring pleasure to Him.

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Pieces of defeat litter the trail behind me.

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve felt failure after failure.  I’ve been too neglectful in my marriage, too hasty in my parenting, too self-focused, done too much in my own strength, too little in His.

The couple of victories I’ve recognized seem so small in comparison to all my downfalls.

I see my lack, His abundance, and realize anew that in mountain-top celebration or valley frustration, it always comes back to His grace.

My lack of ability to walk this spiritual journey on my own shows me my great need for it.  Those successes I recognize remind me that it’s only through Him I succeed.

I remind myself that His grace, it’s sufficient; that His strength, it’s made perfect in my weakness.  It’s even grace to see my weakness, to know I need His strength.  Let me see that more in the moment, less after the fact.

The grace that saved me is the grace that keeps me, that walks me through this day of packing lunches and cleaning bathrooms and correcting children’s attitudes and praying for friends and smiling at strangers.

My emptiness and unworthiness, filled by His wholeness and holiness, brings me back to His grace, the ever-ready fountain for my need.

At times, I can worry with the best of them.  I can imagine all the bad things that might happen to my family members, from car wrecks to plane crashes, serious illnesses to permanent disabilities, a random violent attack to emotional heartaches.

Every phsycial pain I experience myself is likely cancer or some other terminal disease, in my mind.

 
And while God promises His children that His grace is sufficient, He doesn’t grant it for what might be, only for what is.

So where does that leave me, with my hands and my heart full of worry and “what if’s?”

With 2 Corinthians 10:5.

“Casting down imaginations….and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 

From there, I take it all to God in prayer, and trust Him – and not my own understanding – for what will be, for me and for those I love, in His perfect plan, today and in the days to come.

“Fearing God….[is] that deep sense of reverence where we truly desire to look for the hand of God in everything.”  ~Lysa TerKeurst in The Best Yes

These words remind me that there are divine appointments in every day, whether I wait for a slow cashier when I’m in a hurry to get through the checkout line or one of my children has to miss school because she’s sick or I see my neighbor waving at me from her front porch.

On our way home from visiting family over the Christmas break, we made a stop for gas and to get everyone a blizzard at Dairy Queen.  As the girls and I waited to place our order in a rather slow line, an older gentlemen came up and started talking to us.  I discovered that he previously lived in the same part of Virginia where my parents grew up, so we had a nice conversation until it was finally my turn to order.

When I turned back around after paying, he had gone to the convenience-store side of the shop.  I knew I had a tract with the plan of salvation in my purse, and I felt impressed to give it to him.  He was getting ready to leave the store, so I quickly told him how I’d enjoyed talking with him and shared briefly about the tract.  He was kind and took it, then went on his way.

In my mind, that was a divine appointment.  Meeting a man with his exact history at that location and at that particular time was, I believe, arranged by God.  I have no idea if he read that tract – or even exactly what his spiritual condition was – but I pray that I fulfilled the assignment God had for me that day.

Not every story leaves that kind of impression, but we never know how we can minister to someone just by being alert to opportunities to say an encouraging word or share our faith or just take the time to listen when someone needs to talk.  As an evangelist said in our church service last night, we need to constantly be “soul-conscious.” 

Also, as a mom, I want to look for the chance to point out God’s hand at work to our children, to grab hold of any teachable moments, so they can learn to look for their own divine appointments.

Whatever God brings across my path today, may I look for His hand in it.  If it’s a trial, I know that He is in control and can give me the strength to persevere.  If circumstances lead me to someone who’s hurting, He can give me the words to comfort them.  He is always present and at work, if I will have my heart in tune with His so that I don’t miss what God might have for me in the moment.

Just before the new year began, I read this verse in my Psalms of Gratitude study.

The previous Sunday we were attending the church where I grew up, and my brother preached a message on knowing God’s will.  He reminded us that in order to know God’s will, we must know God, and the way to do that is through His Word.  

With those thoughts in mind when I read this verse, I knew I wanted to focus on this message for 2016.  There are two specific ways I’d like to apply Psalm 40:8 in my life.

1.  Delighting to do His Will.  There are many things in my day that I know are within His will for me.  Being kind to others, showing compassion, serving my family, sharing my faith, spending time in prayer, are all actions that please God.  But what is my attitude toward doing those things?  Do I delight in them?  This year I want to!  I will need the Holy Spirit’s help, but as He indwells me, I can learn to put self aside and find joy in following His plan for each day.  This will lead to my trusting His will above my own, knowing that He will lead me into His joy and peace.  Beyond the daily practices, my goal is to pray for my heart to be sensitive to His leading as He reveals other parts of His will for my life.

2.  Knowing His Word.  For His “law” to get into my hear, I have to read it and meditate on it.  I think that’s why I’m enjoying the She Reads Truth app.  It’s typically a shorter passage of Scripture that focuses on a single thought or idea for the day.  Each season of life lends itself to different methods of Bible study – and I have done and plan to do in the future, longer and more in depth reading and studying – but I hope to use these next few months to concentrate on these shorter passages and Biblical truths and let them sink into my heart.

Have you claimed a verse for this year?  In what specific area are you seeking to grow spiritually in 2016?

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It all collides in December….various parties, piano recital, school Christmas concert, church cantata, get-togethers with friends, both daughters’ birthdays, basketball practice and games, decorating, Christmas card sending, present wrapping, cookie baking.

These are all good things, occasions for gathering together and enjoying relationships and celebrating giving.  But sometimes the good can take the place of the best.  Rather than feeling like this month is chewing me up and spitting me out, I want to be drawn into the important moments with family and embrace the true significance of the season.

On my list this week is taking my girls shopping for presents for friends, getting teacher gifts, buying Nacho Cheese Doritos for a children’s Christmas party on Wednesday night, helping my younger daughter plan her birthday scavenger hunt, finishing mailing Christmas cards.  I’m sure you have a list of your own.

I’ve been caught up in it all, but I know that if I don’t make the time to slow down and think about why Christmas is here, December will simply be one unending round of busyness.  The Christ of Christmas isn’t going to intrude on my calendar unless I purposely put Him there.  Even the giving that happens in these days can end up being about me, and not about Him, the ultimate giver.

It’s an age-old story.  In the midst of a busy season of Roman taxation and crowded inns, Jesus came.  I doubt it was all that quiet in the stable for a brand new mom away from home, with few material comforts, soon to be descended upon by shepherds.  Yet I have to think she kept her mind’s eye turned to the true meaning of it all, as best she could understand it, since, upon the shepherds’ leaving, Mary “kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”  [Luke 2:19]

So what will Christmas be this year?  Just the trimmings and the presents and the parties or an appreciation for the relationship that matters most of all, the One we can truly celebrate this year?  And how will I show Christmas to others?  Am I giving grace to harried shoppers and drivers and fellow moms?  Am I loving my family and serving them?

Let me ponder, along with Mary, what Christ’s coming meant for me and for the world.

Related posts:  Keeping Perspective in the Christmas Season and Do We See Jesus?

Believe it or not, girly movies aren’t all we watch around here!

While we were on vacation last week, our daughters watched Facing the Giants for the first time Monday night…..and liked it so much that they watched it again on Tuesday night!

I had seen the movie – or at least parts of it – before, but I sat and watched it with them the first night.  A quote from the movie really stuck with me, and it’s going to get a lot of use around here!

I love this line!!  If I or my daughters are having a bad attitude, it’s because something “stinks” in our heart.  If my heart is right with God, I’ll show kindness, I’ll be patient, I’ll forgive graciously, I’ll be willing to put others ahead of myself.  If, however, I’m harboring anger, laziness, pride, or other sinful feelings and emotions in my heart, then my attitude will eventually reveal that.

Recalling this sentence will be a great way for us to remind each other that an attitude issue is, at its core, a heart issue.  Hopefully we can encourage each other to keep our hearts smelling sweet!!

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