Sleep over …Oh Joy!

I’m sure that just like me you have had a busy week. Were you able to find your joy this week? It’s there. Sometimes it takes a little work to recognize it. Sometime we need others to show us the joy.

Imagine this …my youngest daughter asked me if she could have a friend sleep over on Friday. Oh, I can see some of you rolling your eyes! Lisa, where do you find joy in a sleep over? And better yet, why do they even call it a sleep over when sleep is seldom one of the activities? You know how noisy and disruptive sleepovers can be? I used to think that until this most recent sleepover.

Sleep definitely was not one of their activities on Friday. There was however plenty of eating (pizza, chips, soda, ice-cream…you know the drill), talking, giggling, playing Wii and board games. They even sent text messages to each other while sitting side by side on my living room sofa! While all that stuff was a lot of fun and they certainly made me smile, my real joy came the next morning…..

Something woke me up really early Saturday morning. It was well before 5 am. I thought I heard something outside. Turning up my super-sonic Mom ears I heard them whispering. A peek out the window revealed that I was correct. There they were, my “sleepover girls” sitting on the edges of my raised strawberry bed whispering and eating strawberries! What a sight!!! I found out later that they had played Scrabble all night and decided to go out to watch the beautiful sunrise and have breakfast. “Oh, Mom and the sunrise was real pretty too! All pinks and purples!”

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy” ~Job 8:21 NIV

Joy Journal Begins: Don't lose your joy!

Years ago my sister-in-law Kate sent me a set of 3 metallic letters for a Christmas gift.     
 The letters are J-O-Y. I have them sitting above the window in my living room. I leave them up year round. They are a reminder to me not to loose my joy. Thanks Kate!

Life is tough. There is illness, debt, conflict, stress, regret and the list could go on for many more key strokes. But that is not what I want to focus on. I want to focus on Joy. Somehow our joy gets drowned  out by all that other stuff. Take the time to focus on your joy. Only you can do that. Be intentional about joy. Don't loose your joy!  It is such a small word. Funny isn't it... a small word and often times it is such a small thing that  bring us joy. This blog is going to be a joy journal of sorts....Hopefully it will inspire others to also choose joy

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" Romans 12:12