There are a lot of things that can kill joy. Disappointed hopes, annoying personalities, slow internet, harsh remarks, mistakes, illnesses, toilets overflowing in the middle of the night...
I have been thinking a lot about contentment and joy lately. I want to be more content with where I am, even (and especially) when I feel like God should hurry up and fix my problems. Conveniently (haha) God has been giving me some "killjoys" to practice on.
There have been little things like having to jump the car, bigger things like having to clean the bathroom floor in the middle of the night, and long-term things like our heater freezing. But through it all, I have a choice. I can either vent my frustration or spill out joy.
Life has its ups and downs. You can't escape them. The way I see it, God brings everything into my life for a reason, whether it serves some long term purpose (like the car not starting could have prevented us from running into an accident or something), or it's just to grow our character (which actually is a long term purpose).
There's a good quote that goes something like, "Each choice you make today defines who you will be tomorrow." Basically, every day you have the choice to shape your character for good or bad, just by the little decisions you make. With God's help, you can choose to cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit rather than the rotten fruit of sin (or even complacency). You can choose to be patient when you don't feel like it. You can choose to be honest when it would be easier not to be. You can choose to be loving when it's hard. You can choose to be joyful when everything's going wrong.
Choose joy. Sometimes it's actually easier when everything's going wrong. The day the toilet overflowed was a hard day, and other things had happened earlier that week too. I just had to laugh when I walked downstairs to get rags to clean up. Maybe I laughed because it was almost comical it would happen after a long day already. Maybe I laughed to make myself feel better. Maybe I laughed to lighten the mood. I've heard the mother sets the tone for the home. If she's grumpy, everyone is. If she's joyful, most likely the family will be too. I want to be a joyful wife and mother, who silently points her husband and kids toward joy too.
Choosing to laugh through hardships is one way I'm learning to trust God and His provision and His wisdom. He knows what he's doing. And I'm learning to choose joy in the midst of many would-be killjoys.
"Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."
- Proverbs 31:25-26
Wow, Tianna... well, you are a really excellent writer, and you seem to always impress me more... but more than that, this post is really wise. Life has its ups and downs, you say, admitting freely that you felt like complaining when things are much less than picture perfect - but then how you're trying to be joyful and content instead... it's just super encouraging. And makes me really proud of you. :)
ReplyDeleteYou do have joy, and I see that even when you're all bundled up in your house because of that silly heater. I love that. Thank you for being a good example to me, for my "someday." I want to be as content as you! <3
Sorry for the rambly comment. I just really like this post. A lot. And I really love you. :)
Tianna, your writing on this Blog will be a help and encouragement to many, especially I hope, other brides who have new lives to adjust to and live, either with joy or discontent. Your attitude is so refreshing and still honest. Joy killers for me have mostly to do with loveless attitudes. I try to limit the amount of negative, critical, judgemental content, I let in, especially in the media and unfortunately in some acquaintance. I make an effort to keep my mind on those things that are right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, as Phillipians 4:8 directs us to do. Not easy in this old fallen world, but there is joy in every day as you are discovering, even in the "hard" things.
ReplyDeletei love your attitude. Christlike -- that's what I think of when I read what you've written. Thank you for encouraging me!
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