Are there days when you wake up, and immediately want to go back to sleep? How about the times you want to hide out in a closet somewhere, not wanting to face what’s “out there?” Ummm, yes. Anyone who tries to tell you they don’t have those days…well, I must admit that I would think them a fibber. So, the question isn’t whether hard days exist. It’s whether we will choose to turn them around or not. I’m not going to join the fibbers and try to convince anyone that this is an easy task. No, because sometimes it seems monumental. However, the fact remains that our perspective is ours alone to change, and we always have the power to do that.
Perspective is a funny thing. When I was a little girl, I had a whole bunch of miniature items. A miniature tea set, miniature glass animals, tiny little Barbie accessories, and the cutest little one-inch tall dolls made out of straw that my grandparents brought back from Africa. They were each quite ordinary looking, but I thought they were all the most fascinating items. I gained great joy in spending time arranging them all, holding them in my hands, examining every detail. If I added up all the time I spent doing this it would amount to hours. From my perspective at the time, those little things were beautiful and intriguing. I chose to find the beauty and joy in the mundane and minuscule, and my choices impacted me so much that I remember them more than 30 years later.
And it’s that chosen perspective that is the key to it all. When we can’t see the joy, we can make the choice to search for it. To help you with this concept, I’ve made a list of some of the things that give me joy. These are things I do when I can’t find the joy anywhere else. (Or, if I simply want to add to my heart’s “joy jar!”) I’ve also included a PDF for you to print out and make your own joy-filled list.
Melissa’s Joy-Givers:
- coffee in one of my favorite cups
- praise music
- scrubbing the kitchen sink (I know, that one is weird, haha!)
- sitting in the sunshine for a few moments
- tending my garden
- petting the dog
- visiting my chickens
- journaling
- looking at photos
- baking
- making things with my Cricut
- reading a few chapters in a good book
- taking a walk
- gazing at the sky for a few minutes
- working with my hands
There are many things I can do to change my perspective and bring joy back into my day. And honestly, sometimes, it only takes a moment. Other times, well, I might have to exhaust this whole list to find that elusive joy, but it’s there. Possibly buried under backpacks, shoes, dog toys, blankets (why do we have so many blankets??), or laundry, but it’s there! Never stop searching for it. Never give up…you have young eyes looking to you to show them how to find their own joy…show them your perseverance, too, mama.
It’s an amazing thing to recognize that we have the power to affect our own days; that life doesn’t merely happen to us, but we have a say in it all. Of course, there are circumstances we cannot possibly control. There are situations in life that are not anything we would ever choose. BUT, we do get to choose our reactions to them and our responses, both internal and external. We do have the privilege of seeking out any ounce of joy we can possibly muster, and sharing it with our family so that each of them can have some, too. What a blessing!!
So may your day today, whether it is easy or difficult, happy or sad, busy or boring, be sprinkled with joy and blessings. I’ll be praying for you, and hoping you find encouragement in knowing you’re not alone.