Day 3: The 30ish Days of Joy Challenge

Oh Day 3! You were wonderful. At the beginning there was a rough start and when I arrived at church for worship practice I was struggling with feeling peaceful, but as soon as our worship leader for this week picked up the guitar and began to play I felt peaceful and joyful. Of course the first song was "I am Free"

Through you the blind will see
Through you the mute will sing
Through you the dead will rise
Through you all hearts will praise
Through you the darkness flees
Through you my heart screams
I am free, yes, I am free
I am free to run (I am free to run)
I am free to dance (I am free to dance)
I am free to live for you (I am free to live for you)
I am free (I am free)
Yes, I am free (I am free)
Through you the kingdom comes
Through you the battle's won
Through you I'm not afraid
Through you the price is paid
Through you there's victory
Because of you my soul sings
I am free, yes, I am free
Who the Son sets free
Is free indeed
Who the Son sets free
Is free indeed


Now please tell me how you could not be joyful after reading these lyrics? What a great song to sing in the midst of my 30 day challenge!!!  Today I found joy in several areas of my life.  I was able to joyfully worship with other believers. I was able to joyfully eat at the potluck as we welcomed a new person on staff at our church. I was able to joyfully go to the store with some money in my pocket to buy groceries for the dearest people on earth, my family of course. I was able to come home and make pizza for the family.  I was able to go out with my neighbour and get to know her better over Starbucks and all because my other neighbour gifted me with a gift card for watching her cats while she was away. (We all know the payment of kitties was enough for me).  While at Starbucks I ran into the kids I.A.'s/Crossing Guard at their school and we were able to talk to one another and I met her daughter. Also, she asked me to pray for her! I thought that was great. It is so wonderful to find joy when you are looking out for it!

I am so blessed. I appreciate the life that God has given me and I love that when you choose to be joyful, you find joy everywhere you look! 



Total side note...The Crossing Guard and IA also is an author so to my lady friends out there, if you're interested I recommend her book Dare To Repair.    Also, you can't be as lucky as me and get an autographed copy but it is a great book on home repair! LOVE IT!

Go be joyful!

30 Days of Joy: Day 1 and Day 2

I have been really convicted as of late, that I have gotten into a funk and have stopped finding joy in my life. In Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it."
After a conversation with a good friend, that verse came to my mind. It doesn't say we wake up rejoicing in the new day, it says WE WILL rejoice and be glad. Joy is a choice. Happiness is a choice. It is choosing to see all that GOD has done for us and focusing on that instead of all that Satan is doing against us. For the next 30+ days I will keep track of what brought me joy that day.

Day 1:  We experienced joy by playing a game, went outside with friends, had a bbq with fellow members of the body of Christ.

Day 2: We experienced joy by swimming in our "pool", Little K "helped" our neighbour wash his car, Big K, Little E, and I played a game (which he beat me twice) we sat in the sun and chatted with our neighbours, enJOYed Starbucks, had great food from generous friends and neighbours. We also got our basement set up so we can enJOY more family time down there. Dane and Big E were able to do that by eating ice cream and watching a movie  as a reward for them helping a fellow friend and church member move their home.  I played a game with a good friend and neighbour. I am so thankful for these times and I know I want my children to see me JOYful and not stressed out all the time. I know I will not be perfect all the time and that everyone has failures but I know that with God I can find joy a bit more every day!