JOY:
It all started with a young woman's encouraging words and a day in freshman biology class. After reading a woman of true inspiration, I decided to choose joy. I decided to forget about what everyone else thought, I was choosing joy. I decided to have faith and trust in God and find my JOY.
Let's back up a moment: Freshman year of high school. Tired Morning. Rainy Wednesday. Young girl with dark past. How did joy find it's way here? A little girl battling the loss of her father only a short while, a little girl scared to face the boys at school, a little girl who wanted to start over. Joy for this girl is a CHOICE. It's not something that comes naturally to me always- I have days of struggle where I wonder how I will be able to get through the day. I have days it's all I can do to roll out of bed and carry my half-asleep body to school. But, with all the days like that I have days I wake up bubbling over in excitement, dreaming of the possibilities today holds. And for every single day I live I am grateful!
I was sitting next to a boy in my science class and he looks over at me and asked me why I was smiling. Now, I am a whole mouth-teeth showing-left cheek dimple kind of smiler, it's not some little dainty cute smile. I should have been caught off-guard for a minute (high school is a time whenever you're called out on something you turn beet red), but on this particular I continued smiling and the words left my mouth before I could think twice: "because I choose joy." Ok, so he probably doesn't even remember this small interaction, but this small moment has forever changed my life. After I said those words I realized the absolute truth in them. I'm choosing to smile and live my life again. I'm choosing joy!
Joy is different for everyone. Everyone finds joy in their own special activities. I just wanted to share with everyone what my joys in life are:
- Bible Lettering: I find joy and picking verses from my bible and taking colored markers and using my chicken scratch handwriting to attempt to make it look pretty. It may not be perfect like the ones in all those pretty pictures, but it's my service to His word.
- Making Buckeyes (chocolate covered peanut butter balls): I find joy in feeling homemaker-ish and pintrest-y while I try to make them taste (and look) amazing!
- Party planning: I find joy in coming up with game ideas, guest lists, and decorating! I've loved it since I was really little! And it's even better when it gives you an excuse to spend time with your friends :)
- Scrapbooking: I find joy in cutting up pieces of paper and memory tokens and pasting them onto a vibrant colored piece of paper and looking back on all of the wonderful memories of life.
- Hiking: I find joy in just walking through nature and looking in awe of all the beauty of this earth I get to call home
- Watching old favorite movies: I find joy in snuggling up with a cozy blanket, fresh bowl of popcorn on a rainy evening. Meet Me In St. Louis, High School Musical, or Legally Blonde anyone???
- Playing the same games over and over with "my" little kiddos: I find joy in babysitting when the baby cuddles with you on the couch, the older ones play Macala and Twister on the floor, and when the parents come home the littlest holds me in a hug and says they don't want me to go.
- "Entrust your words to the Lord and your plans will succeed." -Proverbs 16:3 : I find joy in my reminder to stop stressing and let Him be in-control. It's hard to let go, but we have to just "be" every once in a while.
- Two-hour phone conversations with my best friend: I find joy in spending late hours talking even though I know I'll see her in the morning
I choose JOY! I choose joy today and I will continue to choose joy everyday. I encourage everyone to choose joy.
Let me know in the comments where you find your joy :)
It all started with a young woman's encouraging words and a day in freshman biology class. After reading a woman of true inspiration, I decided to choose joy. I decided to forget about what everyone else thought, I was choosing joy. I decided to have faith and trust in God and find my JOY.
Let's back up a moment: Freshman year of high school. Tired Morning. Rainy Wednesday. Young girl with dark past. How did joy find it's way here? A little girl battling the loss of her father only a short while, a little girl scared to face the boys at school, a little girl who wanted to start over. Joy for this girl is a CHOICE. It's not something that comes naturally to me always- I have days of struggle where I wonder how I will be able to get through the day. I have days it's all I can do to roll out of bed and carry my half-asleep body to school. But, with all the days like that I have days I wake up bubbling over in excitement, dreaming of the possibilities today holds. And for every single day I live I am grateful!
I was sitting next to a boy in my science class and he looks over at me and asked me why I was smiling. Now, I am a whole mouth-teeth showing-left cheek dimple kind of smiler, it's not some little dainty cute smile. I should have been caught off-guard for a minute (high school is a time whenever you're called out on something you turn beet red), but on this particular I continued smiling and the words left my mouth before I could think twice: "because I choose joy." Ok, so he probably doesn't even remember this small interaction, but this small moment has forever changed my life. After I said those words I realized the absolute truth in them. I'm choosing to smile and live my life again. I'm choosing joy!
Joy is different for everyone. Everyone finds joy in their own special activities. I just wanted to share with everyone what my joys in life are:
- Bible Lettering: I find joy and picking verses from my bible and taking colored markers and using my chicken scratch handwriting to attempt to make it look pretty. It may not be perfect like the ones in all those pretty pictures, but it's my service to His word.
- Making Buckeyes (chocolate covered peanut butter balls): I find joy in feeling homemaker-ish and pintrest-y while I try to make them taste (and look) amazing!
- Party planning: I find joy in coming up with game ideas, guest lists, and decorating! I've loved it since I was really little! And it's even better when it gives you an excuse to spend time with your friends :)
- Scrapbooking: I find joy in cutting up pieces of paper and memory tokens and pasting them onto a vibrant colored piece of paper and looking back on all of the wonderful memories of life.
- Hiking: I find joy in just walking through nature and looking in awe of all the beauty of this earth I get to call home
- Watching old favorite movies: I find joy in snuggling up with a cozy blanket, fresh bowl of popcorn on a rainy evening. Meet Me In St. Louis, High School Musical, or Legally Blonde anyone???
- Playing the same games over and over with "my" little kiddos: I find joy in babysitting when the baby cuddles with you on the couch, the older ones play Macala and Twister on the floor, and when the parents come home the littlest holds me in a hug and says they don't want me to go.
- "Entrust your words to the Lord and your plans will succeed." -Proverbs 16:3 : I find joy in my reminder to stop stressing and let Him be in-control. It's hard to let go, but we have to just "be" every once in a while.
- Two-hour phone conversations with my best friend: I find joy in spending late hours talking even though I know I'll see her in the morning
I choose JOY! I choose joy today and I will continue to choose joy everyday. I encourage everyone to choose joy.
Let me know in the comments where you find your joy :)
I loved this post!!! I thought that it was really creative and inspiring!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am going to comment on every post and I will be checking daily so try to do this as often as possible!! ;)
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