I do my best to focus on the good, to be mindful of gratitude, to keep it all positive. But life certainly isn’t all new boots and mojitos (I know that most people would use “sunshine and rainbows” or “something-or-other and unicorns,” but if I’m being honest, boots and really good mojitos, for me, are pretty sublime).
Life can be tough, disappointing, and dreadful; it has been known to make me cry uncle, to wave a white flag, to bring me to my knees.
A dear friend told me last week she was impressed by how I’m always happy. It was a lovely thing for her to say, but as I walked away I got to thinking, the accolade really isn’t mine. And it isn’t really happiness she was referring to.
It’s joy.
What’s the difference? Well, to always be happy would mean I’d always feel fortunate and cheerful and lucky. And that’s not true. There are definitely moments/days/weeks I’m not all that happy. Times when I have a lot on my mind, times when I may be quieter than normal, when I’m concentrating on Big Life Stuff.
I may not be happy then, but I’m still joyful.
Joy is always present...sometimes on top, sometimes just below the surface, and sometimes down deep, requiring me to really reach to access it...but it’s always there.
Joy, unlike happiness, doesn’t come from an easy life, from pieces that fall into place, from my favorite song coming on the radio just as I start the car, or from finding 20 bucks in my jeans.
Joy has no magic, special circumstances, or conditions. Joy is eternal.
Joy is faith.
Faith in Jesus, faith in kindness, faith in life after death, faith in an unfathomable love, faith in a God who has a plan for me, even when I see nothing but black and can’t seem to find a way to put one foot in front of the other.
I have joy because I have faith.
It’s joy that makes me see beauty in the shades of gray on rainy days.
It’s joy that has delivered my husband and me through home sales that fell through, jobs we’ve lost, surgeries we’ve had, and injuries we’ve suffered.
It was joy you would have heard when my mom and I belly-laughed during her chemo treatments.
It’s joy that Aaron reminds me of when our kids have crazy high fevers or broken bones and it’s joy that we focus on when we’re in the thick of parenting.
It’s joy that helped me get out of bed after my miscarriages.
Life can be tough, disappointing, and dreadful; it has been known to make me cry uncle, to wave a white flag, to bring me to my knees.
A dear friend told me last week she was impressed by how I’m always happy. It was a lovely thing for her to say, but as I walked away I got to thinking, the accolade really isn’t mine. And it isn’t really happiness she was referring to.
It’s joy.
What’s the difference? Well, to always be happy would mean I’d always feel fortunate and cheerful and lucky. And that’s not true. There are definitely moments/days/weeks I’m not all that happy. Times when I have a lot on my mind, times when I may be quieter than normal, when I’m concentrating on Big Life Stuff.
I may not be happy then, but I’m still joyful.
Joy is always present...sometimes on top, sometimes just below the surface, and sometimes down deep, requiring me to really reach to access it...but it’s always there.
Joy, unlike happiness, doesn’t come from an easy life, from pieces that fall into place, from my favorite song coming on the radio just as I start the car, or from finding 20 bucks in my jeans.
Joy has no magic, special circumstances, or conditions. Joy is eternal.
Joy is faith.
Faith in Jesus, faith in kindness, faith in life after death, faith in an unfathomable love, faith in a God who has a plan for me, even when I see nothing but black and can’t seem to find a way to put one foot in front of the other.
I have joy because I have faith.
It’s joy that makes me see beauty in the shades of gray on rainy days.
It’s joy that has delivered my husband and me through home sales that fell through, jobs we’ve lost, surgeries we’ve had, and injuries we’ve suffered.
It was joy you would have heard when my mom and I belly-laughed during her chemo treatments.
It’s joy that Aaron reminds me of when our kids have crazy high fevers or broken bones and it’s joy that we focus on when we’re in the thick of parenting.
It’s joy that helped me get out of bed after my miscarriages.
It’s joy I’m thankful for each and every day.
While it’s true I’m generally a pretty happy person, it’s joy that my friend noticed last week.
And it has nothing to do with me.
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