Joy

Brandon and I on our honeymoon!


We all live with the illusion that joy will come someday when conditions change. We go to school and think we will be happy when we graduate. We are single and are convinced we will be happy when we get married....When we celebrate, we exercise our ability to see and feel goodness in the simplest gifts of God. We are able to take delight today in something we wouldn't have even noticed yesterday. Our capacity for joy increases. (The Life You've Always Wanted, page 72)

I remember sitting in class last spring and just staring at this girl in my Education class who had gotten married over Spring Break. I was convinced she could never have a bad day because she was married.

Until I read this excerpt from John Ortberg's book this morning (which I stole out of Erin's room) I was laying in bed, the first day of my fall break, feeling bummed. Yes, surprsing but true, I am married but was starting to have a bad day. I had high hopes for a break from school, a fabulous trip to Des Moines or Chicago, a day of hanging out with friends or Brandon taking the day off of work and just hanging out with me.

Instead I will be going into work at noon and doing laundry this morning. But I realized how much joy I am surrounded by and how many pleasures God has given me just this morning.

I am grateful that my husband slept in with me for an extra half hour just to hold me because he knows how much I hate it when he leaves.

He went downstairs and packed his lunch and then came back upstairs and crawled into bed with me for a few extra minutes.

I have pumpkins just waiting to be decorated!

I bought a breakfast of powdered sugar donuts to eat and celebrate fall break!

I know I'm sounding pretty cheesy this morning but it is so easy for me to think the grass is always greener elsewhere and that is simply not true. I have a choice to intentionally look for things to celebrate on this day and I fully intend to do so.

This is the day the Lord has made, REJOICE and be glad!