Margaret McSweeney's Blog, page 27

Anything but Easy

In his book Healing is a Choice, Stever Arterburn wrote, “If you are grateful that God has forgiven you through Christ, then you naturally will extend to others what has been extended to you.”  That sounds realistic, but it’s anything but easy.

Children frequently will fight with siblings. These fights will start because of lost or broken toys or maybe just because of a mean facial expression. Soon, kicking and screaming ensue, and everyone ends up in tears. Usually, after a timeout in the corner, both children apologize and forget the incident ever happened.

Oh, if only adult issues could be solved the way children’s fights are solved. Problems at work arise when differing views or work ethics cause difficulty with projects. Relationships with spouses can turn sour over serious disagreements. Forgiveness is anything but easy.

Jesus spoke in Matthew 6 about the importance of forgiveness. Not only does a lack of forgiveness affect others, it also affects our own spiritual walk. If Christ willingly forgave us despite our many sins, we should be more than willing to share that same attitude with others, no matter the situation.

Love and forgiveness do not differentiate between wrongs.

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Love and forgiveness do not differentiate between wrongs. @MargaretMcSweeney @Re-MixHer
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Set-back? Adventure!

Ever get an answer to prayer that was not exactly what you had in mind? I’ve been praying for God to revive my adventurous spirit. This is what happened . . .

My daughter and I had a joint speaking engagement in Poteau, Oklahoma. We flew from Columbus to Atlanta, then on to Fort Smith—at least that was the plan.

The plane began to shake, rattle, and roll as we traveled through a thicket of cloud cover. Then the captain’s dreaded announcement. Air Traffic Control did not give clearance for us to land. We were rerouted to Little Rock “due to tornadic activity”.

After landing, the airline announced there would be no flights to Fort Smith until morning. It was a 3 hour drive to our destination. What would YOU do?

Ask our host to drive 6 hours round trip to pick us up (a 3 hour wait in the airport)?

Rent a car and drive 3 hours through the storm?

Wait for the morning flight with the risk of being late for our speaking engagement?

While trying to figure out our best option, Nicole was charging her phone and communicating with our sponsor. I was running back and forth for the latest update. As I approached the gate to be sure that I had heard correctly, a tall gentleman with a Southern drawl looked down at me and asked,

“Ma’am, is that your daughter that you’re traveling with?”

I said, “Yes.” And the adventure began! He offered us the back seat of a rental car to Fort Smith. His company would foot the bill. He had already teamed with another man from the flight. Sounded like a good deal to me.

It felt like such a role reversal when this mom went back and checked with her daughter about getting into a car with two complete strangers in an airport! But quite honestly, that did not hit me until we were loaded in the car and driving into a hail storm.

In the eye of the storm, I began to question my scruples! Driving bumper-to-bumper, we began to share our stories. The driver was an industrial salesman from Nashville. The passenger worked on the Alaskan pipeline but lived in Poteau (what a coincidence?). They were so moved by our story that they could not stop asking questions. They said they had never heard anyone talk openly about sexual abuse. Who would’ve guessed? This was the first stop in our Breaking the Silence tour.

Two hours later, we stopped for dinner. By then, we were laughing and tormenting each other as if family. And we ordered dinner: family style! They shared pictures of their children, talked about their church, wives and lives. They were so kind, true gentlemen. It was obvious both men were Christian.  If we had any doubt, it dissipated when one of them prayed for our meal… and also for us.

As I sit here in my office, it all seems surreal. I see how God prepared the way before we even got off the plane. One of the men sat in front of me, though I never saw his face. The other sat across the aisle from him. I noticed him and even asked Nicole if we had met him earlier. She said we hadn’t, but there was a familiarity that was unusual. He seemed safe. So, when he approached me in the airport, I felt as though I already knew him.

Not only did God prepare the way, he reassured us along the way. When we walked into the restaurant, K-Love Christian radio was playing some favorite worship songs. A reminder that he is always with us, that he will make a way for us.

And the bonus? That little restaurant served some of the best Italian food I’ve ever eaten by the most welcoming waitress I’ve ever met while dining with some of the best company I’ve ever kept. It was simply divine…a scene I will not forget.

Have you had any God-adventures lately? Or is life feeling way too predictable?

Do tell! We’d love to hear from you!

Does your life feel way too predictable? @MargaretMcsweeney
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A Cup of Courage | Beth Guckenberger

I have lost a parent to cancer, faced a difficult diagnosis for a child, and lived a decade and a half in a foreign country. Within those storylines, there have been plenty of opportunities to demonstrate courage (or not). But nothing has required of me more courage than loving a wayward child. Courage is not the opposite of fear. Courage is the byproduct of faith. It’s surrender and forward motion. It’s a release of control and a holy confidence in a plan bigger than the page you are on. It announces to those paying attention you are a citizen of another place.

I met Carolina and her sister when they were three and one. They were living in an orphanage in Mexico where my husband and I were serving. We tried to adopt them back then but never could get the process completed. The girls were taken out of the orphanage and moved to another one (against our wishes). We lost track of them for years, and that season was difficult, not knowing if they were safe and where they were sleeping.

Eventually, we reconnected, finding them at another orphanage in our city. Elated, I was sure God was orchestrating events so we could finally be a family.

However, governments, a difficult aunt, and factors I couldn’t ever put my finger on derailed my plan again, and next steps were being written by Someone other than me.

Enter courage.

The girls eventually came to my home full time almost ten years after I had originally hoped. Their journey under my roof has been an adventurous one, with high highs and low lows. It has asked of me more than I am capable of giving on my own. I ran out of patience year one. Forward motion and the Holy Spirit blended together into something akin to courage. I had about one-tenth of the wisdom needed to raise two young women from hurt backgrounds. A listening spirit and a step forward kept us another day in the story.

For me, courage started to look like a dip into a holy cup, an answer to my sometimes well-timed quiet time, or a response to a desperate hail-Mary prayer. It was a filler where I was lacking and then a faith I hoped would be there when I needed it most.

Finally, a couple of years ago, these young women prayed to receive Christ. I was sure the rapture was imminent (It is finished!). In the summer after that decision, a man came to visit me. He was the adult son of a woman named Barbara Shaw. He asked me if I knew her. I hadn’t ever met her but knew by reputation she was an intercessor, the kind of woman people passed on their prayer requests to. He was sharing she had passed away that spring and right before she died had asked him if he would pick up praying for two children whose names she didn’t know but whose faces were depicted in a painting someone had gifted her.

A young, talented artist had asked me for pictures of children from our ministry and then had translated them onto canvas. I sent her a stack and knew they had been auctioned off to raise money for Back2Back Ministries but never got to see the final products.

This man shared he had been struggling since her death with his prayers, feeling like he didn’t share his mother’s gifts and had taken a photo of the painting to show me, hoping I could shed light on some specifics needs he could pray.

I looked around at my kids, (after-church-service conversations can be trying on them), but they were all nine hanging on. I called them over to look at the picture, hoping they could help me identify the children (I silently asked God if I could make something up if no one recognized the children from the paintings.)

As soon as Mark handed us the photo, we all looked at each other and gasped, then my 15- and 17-year-old foster daughters and I all started talking at once. We recognized it as a picture of them! “Well, first of all, I have a whole list of things you can pray for,” I started. “Do you realize that your mama, whom I never met and who never set foot on foreign soil, co-labored with me in the salvation of these lost sheep?”

We went on that afternoon to discuss the timing of her prayers and its correspondence to my most difficult seasons. God knew my courage had worn out. He knew my prayers were weak. He knew I needed what Barbara Shaw had in spades: faith. So for a season, he used hers to build mine.

It takes a special kind of focus to let go of our own agenda, and fear can easily set in when we perceive our own loss of control, when we can’t manage our expectations.

But Lord I thought it was going to look like this. I thought you were going to allow that. Those conversations left to run rampant in my thought-life can snuff out the courage that wants to say, I don’t know how or when or where or really I don’t know any answer to any question, but still I will step forward. I believe the sea will split, I believe the lion won’t bite, I believe the water will hold me, I believe. I will believe with a reckless kind of faith that the limb I am metaphorically crawling out on won’t break because it’s attached to a tree that has never fallen.

My girls’ story on earth continues to be messy. I still struggle through all the natural questions parents have when earthly dreams shatter, but I am a citizen of another place. I have courage today’s page isn’t the end of the story. I take a supernatural hit from the Source of love, patience, kindness, goodness, etc. Yesterday I took the oldest shopping for her 19th birthday. I whispered into her ear as we hugged afterwards, “If the seven-billion people in the planet lined up in order of how much they loved you, I would be the line leader.” Courage makes love come easy.

And so I hold on, and I trust. Then listen and step. Then cry and run out of what I need and ask for more filling. Then I feel him respond and give me what I need (often more than I need), and I know again I am not alone in this pursuit of lost lambs.

Somehow all of that connecting between my Creator and me translates into a relationship with a holy God who meets me when I need it most. It’s a beautiful invitation into a wildly chaotic world on the arm of the Prince of Peace. There, in that posture, I feel courage well up in me for this adventure and a thousand more.

Beth Guckenberger is the mother of a bunch of biological, a bunch of adopted and a slew of foster children. She and her husband direct Back2Back Ministries and just moved back to the US from Mexico where they served for sixteen years. Beth is the author of several books on the journey of their life abroad, including her latest release Tales of the Defended Ones.

Learn more about Beth Guckenberger and Back2Back Ministries at www.bethguckenberger.com, http://back2back.org, the Back2Back Ministries Facebook page (back2backministries) or Twitter (@bguckenberger).

 

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What My Kindergartener Taught Me About Joy

 My youngest child started Kindergarten two days ago. I spent the last five years preparing for this day, listening to moms in the throes of the terrible twos boast about how they couldn’t wait for their children to start school so they could get on with their lives. And then I would bump into someone a little farther down the road than me, her voice cracking, eyes brimming with tears, who would pat my shoulder and quietly say,  “The days are long, but the years are short.” In the midst of this soulful tug-of-war I found myself dreading Monday, August 5th. On the one hand, new vistas tempted me from the horizon but on another level I felt sad that these last five years had passed in the blink of an eye. And in the midst of that, in my utter selfishness, I actually thought, “And what does this mean for me?”

It means I’m old.

It means I’m not a young mom with young kids, getting a free pass on figuring things out. It means that all my kids are “school-age.” I’ve been inducted into a new club, and I didn’t even know I wanted to be a member. Our badges are our minivans, our PTA committees, and the alarm clocks that signal the start of a new day of activities, and our children define us.

So what does JOY look like? How do you describe it?

In this new season, I’m working hard to harness the joy. In Kindergarten, my little girl will meet her first teacher, make new friends, ride the school bus, and learn to read, share, and find her own way. I look at her bright eyes, and you know, all I see is joy.

Joy looks like a five year-old girl on her first day of Kindergarten.

My own definition looks like this: Joy is the ability to be content with who you are where you are.

It’s two-fold, and it’s not easy for a woman my age.

It’s not about happiness; it’s not just about understanding that God is working through us to accomplish his will in the world.

My life is not defined by my children or my circumstances, although both have helped shape the person I am, the woman I am becoming. Wherever I am, whether I’m building my family or releasing my little ones to the world, whether things work out as I thought they would or I am surprised by God’s perfect plan for my life, I can choose to be content with who I am and where I am at this moment.

For this moment, God made me…to experience joy.

Will you join me today in discovering what today holds? No regrets and no wishful thinking. Like a Kindergartener on her first day of school, with a new backpack filled with things like crayons and sharpened pencils and a snack in a baggie, I want to experience joy. She gets on the bus and she doesn’t look back. She has no concept of what the future holds. But she’s ready. She’s five, and it’s recess. She’ll run and slide and swing and hold hands with her friends. Tonight, she’ll go to bed early. I’ll listen to her tiny voice thank God for her teacher, for her desk.. for me.

She’s five, and she just reminded me to choose joy.

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Choose Your Accessories Carefully

My daughter put her books in her locker and then tried to exit the overcrowded locker pod. As she did so, she bumped into another girl who turned around and furiously cussed her out.

As a mom, I’ve spent plenty of time around the high school, and I find the amount of bad language appalling. If I were bored, I could sit in my car out front of the school and count how many times I hear the F— word. It would keep me busy.

As girls, we put a lot of effort into accessories –scarves, earrings, necklaces, cute hats, belts… Why? Because we want to look beautiful. We pay attention to every detail and carefully check ourselves in the mirror before going anywhere.

Do you know language is an accessory?

Definition of accessory: A thing that can be added to something else to make it more useful, versatile, or attractive.

The words you say are something you add on to who you are.

My daughter went to school with a friend named Brittany, and every time Brittany spoke to Jayme it was encouraging. Jayme always came away smiling and feeling better about herself after talking with Brittany.

You do the comparison –encouraging words or being cussed out –which one is more attractive? If you were standing in front of your mirror, choosing earrings, belt, and words to wear for the day, would you look into your drawer and think, Oh, maybe the F— and the S— words today. Lovely.

Maybe you don’t cuss but you have a nasty attitude that drips like acid onto everyone you see at school. Maybe you complain about everything all day long, or you backbite against the girl you don’t like, or you call someone else “fat” or “stupid” or “jerk”. What does that kind of language add to who you are?

Ugly.

No girl wants to be ugly.

So I encourage you today to choose your words as carefully as you choose the scarf that will perfectly match your outfit.

Use words that will add to your beauty.

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Joy Thief or Joy Giver?

 

 

photo credit: Morguefile.com

Are you a happiness helper or a fun sucker?

Happiness helpers spread the love with smiles, encouragement, laughter, and an upbeat positive out look. Fun suckers steal other people’s enjoyment with their serious faces, grumpy attitude, negative woe is me reaction.

A friend of mine and her husband were planning a summer trip. For them part of the fun was in the planning and anticipation of the excursion. The wife, a teacher, has a good amount of vacay in the summer. Her husband was able to line up some well deserved time off during July.  As they were telling their extended family about their upcoming trip, the sister-in-law got pouty. “We never go on a vacation,” she whined.

She was sucking fun out of their announcement moment by bringing the attention to herself and her plight. 

She is a fun sucker.

Another woman told me how her husband kept talking about how much each activity they did on their vacation cost. He was so focused on the money (within the budget they had previously agreed upon) that he took the fun out of each event they participated in.

He is a fun sucker.

A child tells his parents he got an A- on an assignment. His parents reply,”Why the minus?”

They are fun suckers, joy stealers.

Let’s bring joy to  one another and leave the “anti-fun”  behind.

Spread the joy!

May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

Psalm 68:3

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How to Avoid A Fall | Sheryl Giesbrecht

I had a bad fall last week. I rolled my ankle, skinned my knee, twisted my hip and sprained my back. As an athlete and committed runner, I did not need a debilitating accident that forced me to stay down, broke my routine and drove me to despair. How did it happen? I run the same route, several times a week. I know the path very well. Most days, I switch on to automatic pilot as I run and pray for my family and needs of the day. On this certain day, I was extra tired. I hadn’t slept much the night before because I was angry. As a matter of fact, I was furious with someone close to me, causing me to be distracted, unfocused and careless. To be specific, I was not paying attention.

My responses were slow, my reactions delayed. So when I attempted to hurdle the small bump on the path, the toe of my tennis shoe snagged and instead of clearing an insignificant dirt clod, it brought me down to my hands and knees. Wouldn’t it have been great if there was a warning sign before I came upon the little bump in the road? Something like slow, detour, caution or even stop?

Let me tell you the warning signs I believe God had given me. I call them the ABCs of how to avoid a fall.

A. Authority. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19 (NIV)

Relationships scare me to death. As a former pastor’s wife, mother, employee and daughter, I learned early on how to please other people to avoid confrontation. For years, I thought peace at any price was worth more than my own personal harmony with God. I sold myself out, thinking my opinions didn’t matter. My ultimate goal was keeping people happy. I was dishonest when someone asked me to plan an event, knowing I didn’t have time, and yet I would say yes. Interested in the person’s opinion of me more than God’s, I ended up worn out, stressed and depressed.

Obedience to God results in peace, and peace with God is worth much more than people-pleasing. We need to remember to perform only for an audience of One. He asks to let Him show us how to trample the opinions of others, shake off the scorpions of peer pressure and walk in His strength.

Say no to others but yes to God. His opinion of you is the only one that matters. When you grab onto the truth God offers — the authority Jesus’ blood bought for you — He transforms your behavior to reflect your belief about God and how He sees you.

B. Be Still. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

I was struggling with a major decision and decided to go ahead and do it. When I did, I knew it was the wrong decision, but I did it anyway. There were red flags, a sleepless night and now regret. I wondered, Why did I do that? I wished I could rewind the time and do it over.

Making decisions is difficult. When in doubt, don’t move. We make hundreds of small decisions every day. Some are simple, others complicated. Some answers are obvious, some not so much. Often, strong opinions of others encourage us that we must do something. I don’t agree. If there is no peace, we must not move. If there is anxiousness, we must stay put. For most of us, this is difficult because we think moving along and doing something about a situation means we are working on solutions. Do not move if you don’t have peace. An uneasy conscience is the way the Holy Spirit speaks to us about what is best for us. We must hold close to truth and choose to believe God, take Him at His Word. It helps to stand on His promises, like Proverbs 29:25 (NIV), “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” When in doubt, don’t.

“There are two pains in life, discipline and regret,” said Wayne Cordiero. I decided then to be still and wait on God’s timing. This was a discipline I could live with. And for future major decisions, I’ve learned the hard way; waiting is worth it—no more regret.

C. Commitment. “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9

The morning I fell down, I was distracted by an incident that happened the night before, involving a decision where I had not stood my ground. Using poor judgment, I compromised my convictions and lowered my standards. I was furious at the person involved, even thinking they wronged me. But more than that, I was fuming at myself for allowing “yours truly” to be duped. It’s easy to say or think what our convictions should be, but more difficult to implement them for everyday living.

I knew I must forgive the person who wronged me. However, I also must forgive myself. I threw myself into Psalm 51, read it aloud, allowing it to soothe my aching soul. Psalm 51:1-3 (NIV): “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” God had already covered over my sins with Jesus’ blood; I confessed my sin, wept before Him, thanked Him for His mercy. Instantly, peace flowed into my weary mind and helped my worn-out emotions receive relief.

Those of us who are completely committed to God need to understand God is on our team. He is always looking to support us. When we train our minds to ask God to forgive us, no matter how small our offense, He also helps us let go of grudges against others. With this act of submission and surrender, we give God permission to do whatever He wants with us. When God asks us to forgive, He gives us the ability to do it. “Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God,” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NCV). Even fallen saints who are fully committed can rise again to full restoration with God by receiving His grace and mercy through forgiveness.

So now, I am healed from the physical injuries and I am thankful for the emotional and spiritual lessons I’ve learned. Hopefully I will apply them and avoid falling again. “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls,” Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV).

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go. . . .

— Dr. Seuss

Exchanging hurt for hope is Sheryl Giesbrecht’s focus—a message she shares with audiences as a radio personality, author and speaker. A dynamic teacher and motivating leader, Giesbrecht has endured many changes and challenges, moving her to a deep faith, trust and dependence on God. She is host of the nationally syndicated radio show, “Turn Up the Music with Sheryl Giesbrecht,” and the Executive Director of International Christian Ministries (www.ICMUSA.org). Her new book is Get Back Up: Trusting God When Life Knocks You Down.

Learn more about Sheryl Giesbrecht on her website, www.FromAshesToBeauty.com. She also invites readers to follow her on Facebook (AuthorSherylGiesbrecht) and on Twitter (@SGiesbrecht).

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Steps to Transparency

My abortion was my biggest shame and only my husband, my mother (and my ex-boyfriend of course) knew about it. I can remember sitting in Bible study and the women talking about abortion. I thought I was going to be sick. I was sure everyone saw the pain and shame on my face–and these were my closest friends. I knew that if I told them they’d hate me. I hated me.

Then, about ten years after my abortion, I was at church and heard a woman talk about a Bible Study for women who’d had abortions. I was shocked she exposed her darkest sin. I knew I needed the freedom she had. The hardest thing I ever did was go to that Bible Study.

Satan can only keep us captive if we’re silent. If we shrink back from the sin. If we try to “handle it” ourselves.

Jesus is truth. Jesus brought us into a body of believers to depend on each other. When we share the truth, Satan no longer has a hold on us.

Your “secret” is different than mine, but the enemy of our souls would like nothing more than for you to keep your struggle to yourself. To keep silent. We need transparency.

To start taking steps toward transparency, see if there is a Bible study or some type of support group. Then confess to others who have the same issue. Care for each other. Pray for each other. Confession brings freedom; your burden will be lighter when you share it. I remember after I went to my first Bible study class, I started confessing other issues I had. I sought forgiveness from those I’d hurt, and the shackles fell from my heart.

Seek God and write out your prayers to Him. Know that your struggle is not hidden from His view. He knows your issues and still LOVES YOU COMPLETELY. Read Psalm 139. His thoughts of you are greater than the sand on the seashore.

Then, when the time is right, God will lead you to sharing your story with others. God will transform your trials into your testimony. He’ll also help you in your struggle. Turn to Him. Led Him guide Your steps. Jesus will lead you into freedom—trust that.

You can read more about my abortion story here.

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Write A Joy List!

Joy helps us see through the tears.

Joy gives us courage in the midst of fear.

Joy sustains our weary bodies.

Joy fills us with hope again. and again. and again. 

Joy is a satisfying meal for our soul.

Joy can not be taken away no matter the circumstances.

Joy overflows for those who trust in the Lord.

Joy brings laughter on the most difficult days.

Joy is a choice.

Joy is like a picnic on a rainy day. 

Joy makes us dance before our enemies.

Joy is a welcome friend that you never want to leave.

Joy is supernatural, defeating sadness and pain through a smile.

Joy is our strength when we have none.

Joy is more than an emotion, it is a way of life.

I can’t say I’m an expert on joy. In fact, on my best days joy feels more like a mirage that I’m constantly chasing after. Maybe you can relate? 

Jesus walked in joy everyday of His life. So much so that even while carrying the cross, even when darkness fell over the earth, and even when God turned his face from him- Jesus still chose joy.

“For the JOY set before Him He endured the cross…” Hebrews 12

Jesus set joy before Him because He knew a secret about joy- it would uphold Him in the midst of the most tragic circumstances of His life. Joy fueled His passion. It ran so deep in his veins, that when His blood spilled out, He could still say, “Father, forgive them.”

I don’t know about you, but I need THAT kind of joy in my life.

I’m writing a joy list today. A long and beautiful list of what joy practically looks like in my life. A reminder of all the gifts God’s created-big and small- to let me experience and choose joy everyday.

Care to join me?

I’ll go first…

Baking…anything with chocolate chips.

Wearing pink.

Putting on a little make-up {yes, a luxury these days!}

Going for a walk.

Taking goofy pictures.

Dancing in my house with the curtains shut.

Singing in my car.

Calling a friend.

Running in the rain.

Making a gift for someone.

Being thankful for the little things.

Curling up under my covers with the Bible.

Breaking out of a habit & doing something different.

Making my baby boy laugh.

Surprising my husband.

Looking for God’s fingerprints throughout my day.

Giving generously in some way- time, money, energy…

Okay, your turn, what does joy look like to you? 

Set your list before you, in a place you will always see it!

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Finding Joy!

Everyday there are places in my day to find joy. I get dressed. I make meals. I write. I knit. I exercise. I work in a yarn shop. These are the simple rhythms of my day. I’ll confess I am definitely a glass half full kind of gal. I find joy most every day. My secret? I to find joy. I look close and it’s always there.

I get dressed.

Joy in wearing my handknits.

Joy in discovering a skirt that still fits!

Joy in clean clothes.

I make meals.

Joy in the farmers market twice a week.

Joy in trying new recipes.

Joy in preparing comfort food, serving old favorites.

I write.

Joy in connecting my thoughts on the page.

Joy in thinking through ideas I want to share.

Joy in notes sent to friends far away.

I knit.

Joy in the calming rhythm of my stitches.

Joy in working with good materials.

Joy in creating items for loved ones.

I exercise.

Joy in the health exercise brings me.

Joy in activities that get me outside in beautiful settings.

Joy in quiet times just me and God.

I work in a yarn shop.

Joy in helping customers with knitting troubles.

Joy in seeing projects from clients.

Joy in playing with new fibers!

If you look you can find joy throughout your day too. From waking to though sound of a summer rain on the roof to sleeping in comfortable bed made with clean sheets there are tiny and tremendous delights to be found. Each can bring you a moment of joy as well as a lasting sense of blessing. I hope you will find a joyful moment in your day today. Take a look it’s there.

Where do you find joy?

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Pearl Girl Lisa Bogart finds #joy in the everyday. Tweet it.