Sustaining Joy

Born out of seasons of personal challenge, brokenness, loneliness, difficulty, pain, and a desire for transformation, I am experiencing an awakening.  I am a writer.  I was created for a time such as the here and now. As this journey of life unfolds, I am rediscovering myself.  I am chipping away at lies I have chosen to believe and drawing near to my Savior to soak in truth; abiding in Him as He opens my eyes and heart to the many facets of this beloved creation He formed.  True to His faithfulness, He is drawing me near.  Through it all, I am choosing to embrace this spiritual awakening and take hold of His extended hand that eternally invites me forward with Him.

I extend an invitation and invite you on this journey with me. This invitation is extended to each and every one of us.   It’s an invitation toward discovery, toward investment, and toward mindfully taking ownership of our lives for the sake of joy.

We simply have to choose to believe, receive, and seek His extended hand. His hand that is eternally extended in grace and love.  Once we behold Him, we have the beautiful opportunity to receive joy.  Sustaining joy, as I have learned, requires great mindfulness.

When we are mindfully living, in full awareness of our abundant blessings, we discover the rich and satisfying life here on earth Jesus invites us into.

Invitation

Join me as we explore the facets of sustaining joy through all that life brings us.  God’s Word spurs us on to encourage one another and build the other up (1 Thess 5:11). His Holy Word tells us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise (Ps 100:4), and to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess 5:18). Even if you are not a believer in Christ Jesus, what if each of us embrace the other and seek to live these attitudes out in our daily lives?

In these verses, I see the opportunity to encourage the opportunity for a paradigm shift, renewed thinking of mind and heart, and a mindful awareness of the impact we have individually having on the world around us.   I see a love challenge and an opportunity to choose JOY.  I see the opportunity to find JOY in the everyday, giving thanks for our Creator who gifted us with eyes to see, ears to hear, a mind to reflect,  a heart to feel,  and hands to serve.

Sustaining joy for me has meant establishing a renewal of the mind. It has meant establishing the habit of intentionally finding and celebrating the JOY found in the everyday. It has meant giving thanks and praise where it is rightfully, and righteously, due.  I want to be a person who intentionally practices the discipline of reclaiming joy by focusing on those things that bring me deep joy. Thus giving praise where praise is due.

I invite you to enter in as, together, we strive to move forward, overcoming all that life throws our way, threatening to keep us stuck. Join me as we gather in sweet community, moving forward together, and warming each other through our individual strength to uplift, encourage, and love well.

May we each strive together to lean deeply into the One who gave us life and calls us to find the abundant, rich life here on earth.