Category: General

“For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us — not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy — through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” — Titus 3:3-5 CSB

You’ve probably heard the saying “happy wife, happy life.” Maybe you’ve even used it as a gentle reminder to your husband to pay attention to your wants and needs. I know those words have left my mouth a time or two. But honestly? There’s a flip side to that phrase that can feel a little unfair. As the wife, the mom, the heartbeat of the home, your attitude and demeanor has a way of setting the emotional temperature for everyone under your roof. When I’m struggling to keep a good attitude, more often than not, my husband and kids follow suit.

So, on those hard days, when everything is going wrong, and you just can’t pull yourself together, what’s a girl to do?

Let me tell you.

When I started praying about this topic, I asked the Lord to bring to mind past moments where kindness clearly made a difference in others. But He had something more immediate in mind. He wanted to show me examples unfolding right in my own home, in real time.

This past week has been a lot. We put our house on the market, which means the constant pressure of keeping everything spotless. Our dog is very pregnant and could have puppies any day. It’s mid-May, which brings the beautiful chaos of end-of-school events, baseball, softball, and a to-do list that never seems to shrink. Work has picked up as we’re growing our team, which means training new people on top of everything else. Summer is literally starting this week, and I am not ready for my kids to be home all day. My husband has a work trip, my in-laws are out of town, and I will be the sole adult running the show as school wraps up with a bang.

I’m stressed. And being kind, especially to the people I love most, has been a real challenge.

But here are three things I’ve tried this week that have genuinely shifted my perspective.

1. Stop and breathe.

Before anything else, just pause. Calm those nerves, sister. The Lord truly cares about every detail of your life, every stressor on your plate. Take a moment to find even the smallest win and give thanks for it. That simple act can break the spiral before it starts.

2. Turn your frustration into prayer.

This week, I found myself in that familiar cycle, frustration with my husband building into full-blown irritation. But instead of letting those thoughts run wild, I stopped and took them captive. I started praying for him. Thanking God for his hard work and dedication. Asking the Lord to guard his mind and heart. And something shifted. The bitterness softened. My heart moved from anger to compassion, to a real understanding of the weight he’s been carrying. That one choice to respond with kindness, even just internally, transformed me.

3. Choose kind words and a softened tone.

Nothing raises the temperature in a home quite like an angry mom. If you need a moment before you open your mouth, take it. Step away, breathe, reset. The words you choose and the tone you carry them in matter more than you know.

Here’s what I keep coming back to: the passage in Titus doesn’t say God was patient with us until we got our act together. It says He showed us kindness, and that kindness is what changed everything. We were foolish, disobedient, enslaved, and He met us there with mercy and love. Not because we earned it, but because that is who He is.

Kindness isn’t passive. It’s a choice, often a hard one, made in the middle of a messy, stressful, imperfect life. But when we extend it, to our husbands, our kids, ourselves, something transforms. Sometimes it’s the room. Sometimes it’s a relationship. And sometimes, it’s your own heart.

So today, wherever you are and whatever kind of week you’re having, choose kindness. You might be surprised what it changes.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

We would like to thank Megan Hollis for writing this post.

Ephesians 4:23 – Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Have you ever felt like the sky is falling, or the walls are closing in around you? I know I have. Some moms reading this right now are caring for a sick family member, helping a graduating senior prepare for the next chapter, managing a house that feels impossible to keep up with, chasing little ones around, and staring at a never-ending to-do list.

So, how do we, as women who juggle so many responsibilities and wear so many hats, continue to walk in the fruit of the Spirit, especially kindness?

Kindness comes from Jesus. He, too, was constantly being pulled in every direction, yet He still chose compassion, patience, and love for others.

Think about the story where the friends lowered the paralyzed man through the roof just to get him to Jesus. We often focus on the loyalty and determination of the friends and say, “Wow, that is true friendship.” And it is. But sometimes we miss another important part of the story – Jesus.

Even in the middle of crowds, demands, and people needing something from Him at every moment, Jesus stopped. He noticed the man, responded with kindness, and met his need. That is what kindness rooted in Christ looks like: making room for people even when life feels overwhelming.

I have often thought about what it must have been like to be in Jesus’ position, surrounded by people needing something different from Him all at once. He was fully human, and surely there were moments when He felt overwhelmed. Yet He continued to respond with patience and kindness.

If you are a teacher, coach, administrator, banker, business owner, or simply someone known for getting things done, you understand what it feels like to have more and more added to your plate. Jesus healed bodies, minds, and spirits. Imagine how many directions He was pulled each day. Yet, when you read the New Testament, you also see that Jesus intentionally rested. He even told His disciples to rest. God created a rhythm for us: work for six days and rest on the seventh.

Rest is often where kindness begins. When we are overwhelmed, exhausted, and running without pause, kindness becomes much harder to give away.

If you know me at all, you know I stay busy. I love seeing growth around me and growth within me. I believe a growing person is a fulfilled person, and I never want to stop learning. That mindset is part of why I chose to go back to college for a master’s degree in counseling during one of the busiest seasons of my life. Many times, I have asked the Lord, “Why now?” But over and over, I am reminded that this season requires me to lean on Him more deeply for strength and rest. He has never left my side through it all.

I can always tell when I have not rested enough because I become short and impatient, usually with the people closest to me. In those moments, I have learned that I need one of four things: rest, food, time with Jesus, or time with people who refill my cup. It is difficult to choose kindness when you are neglecting your own well-being.

Self-reflection also requires another fruit of the Spirit: self-control. Kindness in our actions, words, and responses requires a filter. I love teaching students about what I call the “brain filter.” We have thousands of thoughts every day, but not every thought should become a spoken word.

When I taught younger students who struggled with blurting things out, I would place a coffee filter on their desks and have them touch it before speaking. It was a simple but powerful reminder to pause, think, and filter before responding. That small habit trained them to slow down and choose their words more carefully. As adults, we sometimes forget how important that filter still is. Our words matter, and the way we present them matters too.

How many of us stand in front of the mirror replaying conversations, preparing arguments, or imagining conflict that has not even happened yet? That habit does not produce kindness. I remember when the Lord convicted me about this very thing. I would attend meetings, social gatherings, or service events, longing for deeper friendships, but internally, I was constantly replaying conversations or assuming how people felt about me.

One day, in the middle of all that mental noise, the Lord stopped me and reminded me: When you stop making assumptions about what might happen and simply become the kind of person I created you to be, without fear, you will find what you are looking for.

That changed me. It was not instant, but every time I felt anxious or tempted to rehearse conversations in my head, I would stop and pray. I would ask the Lord to show me truth instead of assumptions. That practice brought freedom and kindness toward myself, which then allowed me to extend kindness to others more naturally.

Learning these rhythms—resting, filtering my words, praying instead of assuming, and leaning on Jesus—has helped me stay kind under pressure. Not perfectly, but intentionally. And maybe that is the goal: not perfection, but a heart that continually returns to Christ, the true source of kindness.

We would like to thank Janeé Harrison for sharing this post.

When I think on the character of God, one of my favorite attributes is His kindness. Hearing the word “kindness” on a surface level might cause you to think of other words, such as “sweetness” or “softness.” While those words may also reflect human kindness, the kindness of God is so much more. It implies a steadfast, loyal love within a relationship with Him. His kindness is an active force that brings restoration and protection. 

An amazing truth that I have learned about God’s kindness is that it extends even to unbelievers. Think about that! The same rain that waters your yard and makes your grass green makes theirs green as well. They see the same sunrises, mountains, and other beauty of the world just like you do as a believer. The fact that we wake up with breath in our lungs is a testament to God’s kindness and mercy. It is not just limited to those who have decided to follow Him.

While that is good news, it can be hard for the believer to see the kindness of God bestowed just as heavily (sometimes it feels like more so) on someone who mocks God or simply doesn’t understand or appreciate what He has done for them. Just like the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son, it can be tempting to ask “Why do they get the blessing as well? I’ve been here the whole time!” So why does God do it? Why does His kindness and love extend even to someone who doesn’t believe in Him? 

It’s to bring them to repentance.

Romans 2:4 CSB “Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

The word “repentance” means a change of mind. To repent is to change your mind and turn from your sin. If the kindness of The Lord brings an unbeliever to repentance, how can we do anything but rejoice? Galatians 5:22-23 shows that kindness is one of the nine fruits of the spirit. It is an attribute of someone who has decided to follow Jesus. This means that God uses US, those who are already His children, to bring kindness to a broken world. We are the very vessel that shows others who Jesus is! That can be so hard to do when our humanity tries to get in the way. It’s easy to justify not showing kindness to people who have really hurt us or hurt those closest to us. 

I watched a clip of a message from Rachel Morley, a Christian worship artist, and it really spoke to my heart (and honestly brought me some healthy conviction). She said “Jesus did not just pay for the healing and the wholeness of the victim. He paid for the healing and the wholeness of the perpetrator. And when we can see that, when we can believe for, love, and long for the wholeness of the perpetrator as much as the victim, that’s when we understand the cross. That’s when we understand the gospel. This is the offensive grace of the gospel, that my enemies get to be my friends.”

That may sound extreme, but that is exactly what Jesus did. The ultimate kindness of the Father is seen in the sacrifice of Jesus. He died to provide salvation to humanity. So, as Sons and Daughters, and bearers of His image, let’s represent Christ to a fallen world. The seeds of love and kindness you plant in someone’s life may just inspire them to find the source.

We would like to thank Courtney Harper for writing this post.

“For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” Isaiah 61:11

Growth

Growth elicits two very contrasting images in my mind:

One of pain, stretching beyond current capacity, ripping, rending, that will later be repaired. My brain feels risk in that. What if my flesh bleeds out before being repaired? What if my capacity were not meant to be exceeded? What if the repair leaves scar tissue that throbs for years? What if…

The mistrusting bunny trail of “what if” leads down a snake hole of death, marred by some previous pain and some hypothetical never-to-happen, slippery-slope lies.

The other image of growth though-what a powerful, peaceful, purposeful vision in which to reside!

The Hebrew word for growth is defined as sprouting, bringing forth, springing up. Oh what a beautiful image of spring renewal after a winter of dormancy. Soil softens with warm weather and life and beauty spring up revived, renewed. The same springing forth of vegetation in the Garden of Eden is used for righteousness springing forth in Isaiah 61, which is the lens for the remainder of this post.

The Soil

Our human hearts are the soil for spiritual growth, and the condition of our hearts influences the form that growth takes. Hardened hearts, like stone, require rending, hewing, scraping, like diamonds that are raw being refined. The process for growth becomes like the firing process of precious metals, fired to burn away the dross.

Soft hearts crumble like fresh soil giving way to the seed erupting with life, pressing through to bear flowers and fruit. Soft hearts mold like clay, formed into use by the master artist’s hands. Oh-yes-pottery also requires firing to become sturdy and useful, not crumbling and crashing at a breath of wind.

Both firings of metal and clay turn crude, mushy potential into beautiful, purposeful products. Likewise, our hearts are fired through circumstances that lead us into a winter season of rest and dormancy in preparation for vibrant spring growth.

I ask myself, “Do I trust my Maker to form me in seasons of growth or do I resist, failing to yield my will, forcing a firmer refinement process?” Then my prayer becomes, “God, keep my heart soft. Silence fear. Grow trust. Don’t leave me blind. Heal me from within.”

Repentance-Hebrew

Sometimes growing looks like letting go.

In The Red Fern Grows, the boy needed a raccoon skin, so he set a trap by boring a hole in a log, dropping a shiny washer in the bottom, and hammering nails in the side that would allow an open hand through, but a closed fist would not. He considered it very unsportsmanlike but used it so that he could train his dogs to help him hunt. When a raccoon saw the glistening metal, he slipped his hand through the nails and clutched it in his first. To escape, all it needed to do was open his hand, let go of the washer, and slip his hand back between the nails, but all night, it wrestled upward, inflicting pain by thrusting the nails into his fist.

How often are we like the raccoon, clinging to what is shiny, inflicting our own pain, caught in a trap of sin, placing our trust in ourselves, money, or other people. That washer at the bottom could be pride, materialism, addiction, gossip, any sin. And we wrestle with our own desires rather than relinquishing our hope in a shiny promise of nothingness, and we wait, caught in a trap of sin, for the world to consume us.

Letting go of sin and pride looks like letting go, changing our minds, repenting.

But what is this word repentance? Our world disdains admitting shortcomings and owning up to our sin. It attempts to redefine truth rather than repent. It clings to what is shiny and accuses the nails for our painful entrapment.

In Hebrew, the word for repentance means “to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted.” It involves sighing, regretting, and going another direction. As with Job, this repentance is often associated with dust and ashes (Job 42:6) Google ai overview explains this cultural practice: “Dust and ashes in repentance symbolize deep humility, mortality, and brokenness before God, highlighting human frailty and the need for divine mercy.”

This repentance, this sighing, this changing of the mind, is a crushing of self, an acknowledgment of human frailty, a desperation for our sovereign, righteous God.

Repentance-Greek

Repentance has an equally powerful meaning in the New Testament where Greek is used rather than Hebrew. Both languages contain nuances that are powerful in translation. Repentance involves changing one’s mind and thinking differently afterward. The roots, meta and noeō literally mean “with understanding”. These roots imply that a new understanding leads to a change of mind and a change of action.

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus declaring “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2). Likewise, when Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to teach and heal, “they went out and preached that people should repent” (Mark 6:12).

We are called to change our minds from our natural sinful nature as God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4) and righteousness in Christ.

Repentance into Growth

In my life, growing in God’s timing looks like: Grief, Repentance, Rebuilding, Renewal, and Sprouting up into an oak of righteous.

Though I have grieved countless friends who have entered the Kingdom ahead of me, I choose to change my mind away from the deception of sin, away from my own limited understanding. I choose to trust in God’s faithfulness, in His goodness, in His redemption, in His ability to transform what the enemy meant for evil into good. I choose to silence the lie that deep love leads to fruitless, permanent pain and marring.

Unlike the raccoon, I choose to open my fist that clenched shiny, fearful pride. I choose repentance so that I can grow in God’s timing.

I choose to love in spite of grief. I choose to love deeply because that growth is what Jesus calls me to.

PS. blueletterbible.org contains many resources that help us understand the Hebrew and Greek translations of the Bible.

We want to thank Mary Coleman for sharing this post.

I nearly said no to writing this blog. Why, you ask? Because this is an area of my life I have had to walk through at a pace that is anything but the pace at which I think it should be. Have you been there? It’s also an area I’ve had to walk through that has required healing and laying down bitterness, jealousy, and surrendering my desires to His. 

I think it’s safe to say that we all have an idea or dream in our mind of what we think adulthood will look like. Mine was this: grow up, graduate from high school, graduate from college with my degree, start my career, get married, buy our dream home, have children, live a white-picket-fence life that looks like it does in the movies. I thought I had it all figured out. Didn’t you, too?

As an only child I kinda sorta got most of the things I always wanted (shocker, I know). And I think it shaped my thoughts into thinking that’s how it would always be (until I matured and grew up some). So of course it came as a bit of a shock the older I got, that was absolutely not the case! LOL! I did graduate high school, I did go to college and get a degree, but got married halfway through. I never started the career I envisioned with the degree I got, we haven’t bought our “dream” home yet, we have 4 precious kiddos, and our life definitely doesn’t look exactly like it does in the movies. What all does that have to do with growing in God’s timing?

For me, it means I had to learn and believe that God’s timing is much better than mine. And choosing to surrender the control I thought I had to make my life look the way I thought it should. Ecclesiastes 3:11a says, “He has made everything appropriate in its time.” Isn’t that just so good? It brings such a peace to my heart knowing that His timing is perfect. His timing is always on time. 

Growing in God’s timing looks like contentment to me. Contentment in our home and stewarding well what the Lord has given us, even if it’s not like the houses the influencers have. Contentment in my jobs, even if it’s not working in radiology and doing ultrasounds like I thought it would be doing when I was deciding what to do when I grow up. Contentment in my family and how the Lord has blessed us in ways we couldn’t have dreamed up on our own. Contentment that we may not get to go on luxurious vacations all the time across the globe, but being together in whatever we do is enough. 

This reminds me of one of the episodes of the Chosen when the disciples are saying, “even if….. it would be enough.” In God’s timing I have grown to learn how much more peaceful life is when we truly let Him be in control, surrendering our mind, will, emotions, and desires to His. In God’s timing we are reaching the goals we have for our family. In God’s timing He will fulfill the desires of my heart, because as Pastor Anthony has shared over the last couple of months as we have been studying the book of Matthew, once we are truly in relationship with Jesus, our desires start to look more like His. And living in His will and His timing is the best place to be.  

We want to thank Paige Keller for sharing this post.

Hebrews 5:12 AMP – For though by this time you ought to be teachers [because of the time you have had to learn these truths], you actually need someone to teach you again the elementary principles of God’s word [from the beginning], and you have come to be continually in need of milk, not solid food.

But how could I understand this as a young girl? I did not grow up in a Christian home with Christian parents. My home was broken in so many ways. When I did start going to church in the 7^th grade, how could I understand what the Pastor was saying? It sounded like Greek to me. But the one thing I do remember about that time is that I heard about a man, Jesus, and I didn’t know why, but I fell in love with Him. I wanted to know Him more and more. But how do you learn about Him when you don’t know the bible, you didn’t grow up in the Word, and you don’t know what questions to ask? I just floated along in a sea of “what am I supposed to do?”

Hebrews 6:1 tells us: Therefore, let us get past the elementary stage in the teachings about Christ, advancing on to maturity and perfection and spiritual completeness, without laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. 

How was I supposed to get past the elementary stage? Well, let me tell you. Because I stayed in this stage for many years. I was a baby Christian for way too long.

I now know that God’s timing is perfect. But as a baby Christian, I didn’t know about God’s timing, just mine and it was “I want it and I want it now.” Can you imagine how frustrating that was? The older I got the more confused and frustrated I became. I didn’t grow much because I wasn’t hearing much about God’s grace, so I was a works righteous Christian, trying to work for my salvation. I ended up walking away from church for a time because of my confusion. I used to say I walked away from God, but I know that He was with me always. I didn’t walk away from Him, He would not let me.

Colossians 1:9b-10 says: “We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God”

When I came to Harvest, I finally started “getting it”. It isn’t about me and what I do, it is all about Jesus and what He did for me. That man that I loved as a youth was always there for me. He led me through so much, even when I didn’t know He was there. I was growing slowly. Was this God’s timing? I sometimes think that God moved too slowly for me, but I know that I probably wouldn’t have learned as much in my own timing. I am too impatient. He had to take me back to the basics for me to fully understand and GROW. 

As I was praying about what to write, I heard a song. I have heard this song many times. It spoke to me and then I heard it again this morning and it really moved me. I will close with some of the lyrics, it is “Even if” by Mercy Me.

“They say it only takes a little faith to move a mountain.
Good thing a little faith is all I have right now.

But God when You choose to leave mountains unmovable.

Oh, give me the strength to be able to sing it is well with my soul.

I know You’re able and I know You can

save through the fire with Your mighty hand

but even if You don’t my hope is You alone.

I know the sorrow and I know the hurt

would all go away if You’d just say the word,

but even if You don’t my hope is You alone.  

You’ve been faithful, You’ve been good all of my days.
Jesus, I will cling to You, come what may.” 

I want to keep growing, no matter my age and I want to do all I can to help others to grow. And I want to praise God “Even if” He grows me in His timing and not my own. Some of the best advice I have for a new Christian is this: Don’t be afraid to ask questions, like I was. Reach out to someone!

Thank You Lord that You helped me grow in Your timing!

We want to thank Debbie Crosby for sharing this post.

I love springtime. The weather is lovely, and all of the flowers finally start to bloom. I particularly love the bulbous flowers that come back year after year – tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, peonies. Spring is a glorious time, one that we tend to signify as growth. It ends the dormant season of winter, and new life springs forth. 

But without the dormant season, there would never be new life. 

There is a cycle to the life of these plants. Each spring they bloom, most of them only one time. The colorful petals last for a few days, a few weeks at best, and then all that remains are the leaves. Then, by first frost, even those are gone, and nothing remains to be seen of the plant. And yet, the plant is still alive and growing. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says that “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Everything includes our own growth. 

There have been many seasons in my own life, where I have felt dormant. Where my prayer life seemed stagnant, where worship felt like work. Seasons where I felt like I was faithfully showing up, doing what I had been taught to do, and yet, was seeing no fruit. 

Honestly, these seasons are hard. I find them frustrating. And yet, having lived to see the other side of several of these seasons, I now know just how rewarding they can be. 

Just as with the flowers that bloom every spring, there is a season for everything. The dormant season is good for the flower – it helps it to recharge, to heal and renew, and even to multiply. The same is true for us as God’s daughters. We were not created to constantly be putting off showy blooms. We too, need dormant seasons. 

It is in the dormant seasons, where I learned that showing up for my time with the Lord, just to show up, was worth it. His presence, was worth it.

In the dormant seasons, I’ve learned that the discipline of prayer – whether I felt like praying or not – became a delight. 

In the dormant seasons, I’ve learned that sitting in my secret place with my Savior leads to my sanctification. 

We see the same truth play out in the lives of many listed in scripture.

There was a season where Joseph was in the pit and the prison, before managing the palace. 

There was a season where Moses was hiding in Midian, being prepared to lead the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land.

There was a season where Ruth was a widow, gleaning in the fields – the foundation being laid to become an ancestor of Jesus. 

There was a season where David was simply a shepherd, learning to be a warrior and a king. 

There were 30 years of life on earth, where Jesus himself prepared and waited for a 3-year season of ministry. 

These seasons aren’t filled with beautiful blooms. But they are filled with growth. These seasons create in us the kind of growth that produces plants and people that last. The kind of people with deeply rooted faith, who carry light into the world, knowing that no matter what storm comes, their God is good. 

These dormant seasons create in us a steadfastness, an unwavering hope that enables us to stand alone for the truth when no one else will. 

These dormant seasons create in us the humility that it takes to love others through their dormant and painful seasons.

These seasons produce within us exactly what we each need so that when spring comes, we can do what God has called us to do.

If you find yourself in a dormant season today, do not look on it with disdain. Don’t allow yourself to become discouraged, but keep seeking Him. Whether it is a season of pain and suffering, or simply a season where you feel stagnant, the Lord is not surprised by it. Psalm 139:16 tells us that “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.” God knew this season was coming, and He knows exactly the growth that is planned for this time. So just as the psalmist cries out in Psalm 31:14-15, we can say, “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.’ 15 My times are in your hand.”

You can trust in the Lord, even in this dormant season, because spring is coming. Continue showing up, sitting in the secret places with Him, and you will bloom again.

We want to thank Brooke Kellum for sharing this post.

 Joy, the feeling of great pleasure and happiness. The Word tells us in James 1:2-4 that we should “count it all joy” when facing trials and challenges, to develop perseverance and spiritual maturity.

When I was asked to write a blog about choosing joy daily, I really had to think about what that looks like, and since I am a very visual person, this picture came to mind: alarm screaming, kids crying and not wanting to go to school because they wanted the blue shirt with the black pants and not the red shirt with blue pants, coffee that was hot and now turned cold, rushing to get everyone where they need to be, and after all of that, arriving on time to a job that requires your time and attention. Where is the joy in that?! Where is the feeling of pleasure and happiness?

Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always,” even when things are not going our way. In the past, when things were hard, I chose to put chemicals in my body to spark that “joy” and get through what I needed to, but the truth is, they did nothing but keep the pure joy that only God can provide hidden and out of reach. “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22. They really didn’t bring me happiness or joy, they just numbed the bad feelings, and only temporarily.

God promises us in John 16:24, “Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be full.” Joy is a gift from God that helps keep us rooted in Him rather than the world and the circumstances you are facing. So, how do we choose joy daily? We focus on Him and the blessings He has given, find women who are rooted in Christ who will pray for us and help us see the joy and blessings in our life, and pray for God to give us eyes to see the joy in all circumstances. When “bad” days hit, and they will, remember that we have an unlimited well of joy that God provide if we will just choose to breathe, take a step back, and ask Him!

So, even though the coffee is cold, I have a full cup, my kids have clothes to wear (even if they’re not the right color), everyone is taken care of, and God gave me another day on this Earth to speak His name to someone who may not hear it from anyone else. I guess it’s not so hard to see the joy in all that after all.

We want to thank Randi Cason for sharing this post.

Think of the word joy. What comes to mind?

Is it a thing? A person? Or did your brain immediately jump to the “Sunday school answer” before I even finished the question? Ha.

But really, when you hear the word joy, what picture forms in your mind?

Maybe it’s a memory with someone you loved who has passed away.

Maybe it’s your mom’s lasagna on a Sunday afternoon.

Maybe it’s the sound of laughter.

Many of us connect joy to an experience. 

I believe there are two different kinds of joy.

There is experiential joy. The kind tied to circumstances, moments, memories, and things. These are good gifts. God created a beautiful world full of laughter, relationships, good food, adventure, and celebration. Scripture reminds us that God is a good Father who gives good gifts (Matthew 7:11). Experiencing joy in those things is not wrong. In fact, it’s part of His design.

But there is also a second kind of joy.

A deeper, steadier, unwavering kind. A joy that doesn’t rise and fall with circumstances.

When I think about joy, my mind often goes back to a trip I took in 2008. I had the opportunity to travel with a missions team to Malawi, Africa.

Hands down, the people I met there were the most joyful people I have ever encountered.

And the craziest part?

They had almost nothing.

I remember watching a group of boys proudly show me a toy car they had built themselves. It was made from discarded plastic bottles, bits of broken wheels, sticks, and string they had found on the ground. To them, it wasn’t trash, it was a treasure. They laughed, raced it across the dirt, and proudly explained how they had built it.

Their homes had dirt floors. Their beds were blankets laid directly on the ground. And yet when we visited, the women welcomed us with the brightest smiles and the most generous hospitality. They served us as if we were honored guests.

There was a light in their eyes I still remember.

When I came home, I struggled.

I opened our pantry and it was overflowing with food. More options than I could even think about eating. I stood there and felt uncomfortable with the abundance.

Then I walked into Walmart.

And I remember feeling overwhelmed, not with gratitude, but with consumerism. Aisles and aisles of things people were buying, but somehow still seemed unhappy.

I couldn’t shake the contrast.

There was such a stark difference between the spirit of where I had just come from and the spirit of where I lived.

The difference wasn’t possessions.

It was joy.

The people in Malawi had almost nothing to rely on except Jesus.

Which turns out to be everything.

Here in America, we have almost everything to rely on.

And sometimes we forget about Jesus.

Which is still everything.

I believe that is the difference.

When Jesus is all you have, you quickly learn that He is enough. Your joy isn’t built on comfort, convenience, or abundance. It’s built on trust.

Real joy doesn’t come from having everything.

It comes from knowing the One who is everything.

And maybe the real question for us is this:

Where is our joy coming from?

Because the source of our joy will determine whether it fades…

or whether it lasts.

We want to thank JuLea Bouma for sharing this post.

Joy, the bright yellow character from the movie “Inside Out,” is always cheerful and smiles throughout the movie, no matter the circumstances. She tries to keep it all together when the other characters, Disgust, Sadness, Anger, and Fear, seem to not understand that joy is above all emotions and should be preserved. My family and I love this movie, and we laugh and feel every bit of emotion, because we can relate to it. I kept thinking about this movie when I saw the topic for this blog post.

I then took a minute to think about ways I choose joy during the day, and to be honest, I did not resemble Joy, from the movie, at all. There were a few days I only broke a smile once or twice. I definitely did not leap with happiness to go clean the 10th poopy diaper of the day. I felt disappointed to realize my past few days did not look like joy-filled days. I am a tired mama of 3, who stays home, homeschools 2 kids, and changes at least 10 diapers per day. I probably wear my pjs all day, until it is time to get ready for nighttime church or evening wrestling practice. I rush out the door after making dinner and taking five or ten minutes to get myself ready. My heart felt sad that I might not be the right person to write about choosing joy every day.

I kept thinking about ways we choose joy every day. I knew there had to be more than just what we have been told about what joy is. We have a saying in our house, “TV is to entertain us, not to teach us how to act,” because I know how easily I let movies or TV shows shape my perception of life.

So, I went to the Bible to remind myself what joy really is. There are countless examples of joy in the Bible, but they don’t all portray characters like the bright yellow “Joy” from Inside Out.

The first example I remembered was Christ on his way to the cross. What a powerful image of a selfless man almost beaten to death, slowly walking to his own crucifixion for the sake of mankind. I want to come back to this example at the end, because I think it wraps everything up beautifully.

Let’s read Nehemiah 8:10: Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah tells God’s people to have joy and celebrate. This is after the Babylonian exile, when God’s people hear the Law and realize their shortcomings before the Holy God of Israel. Nehemiah didn’t want them to dwell on their past choices or sinful human nature. Instead, he wanted them to feel God’s redemption and see what God had for them after the exile. The people still had a wall to rebuild, and, though they were grieved, they could celebrate and rejoice in God, because He was the only one that could sustain them through this period of rebuilding physically and spiritually.

Let’s read Romans 15:13: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Paul encourages the readers to have hope and trust God’s plans and purposes. He tells them to have joy, which comes from a spiritual connection with God, because it is not circumstantial. He reminds them to have peace in a time when persecution was likely to happen. Here, Paul is talking to the church in Rome that was made up of Jews and Gentiles. The people there wanted to follow Christ, but it was going to take unity and change. The church had to trust God and have hope in His promises, even if their circumstances were uncomfortable. In all this, Paul asked them to have hope, joy, and peace.

Lastly, let’s read Matthew 27:30-31, “Then they spat on him, took the staff, and kept hitting him on the head. After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.” Think about Jesus on the day of his crucifixion. His physical body had been beaten and tortured beyond our imagination. He was bloody and unrecognizable. He slowly walked to God’s purpose, fully knowing what that was. The physical pain was not over, but the agony did not stop Him. This is the kind of joy that does not come with a smile. This is the most beautiful example of joy found in scripture. Jesus, our Christ, had joy in His heart every step of the way. He didn’t smile or leap to that cross, but He was full of hope, joy, and peace. He was in full obedience to His father. He rested in God’s plan and promise so much that he was able to rejoice through such a horrific situation.

After I referenced the Bible to figure out what joy really looks like, I felt a heavy load come off my shoulders. I don’t have to feel cheerful or leap as I am on my way to change what feels like the 100th diaper of the day. I don’t have to wear a smile all day in order to experience God’s true joy in my life. I know God called me to be home and homeschool my children. We have some long days, and some really fun ones, but regardless of the circumstances, I am in peace and joy because I know I am in obedience. But what about the deeper things in life that make a spill of apple sauce or a dirty diaper seem so minuscule? When you get the lab results for cancer screening and the news makes your heart sink? Or when you get a call at three in the morning with horrific news? Maybe you are still praying for your adult children to come back to Christ, or maybe for your parent who is living a life away from Christ, and their pain hurts you deeply.

Those are the days we have to choose to trust God, because only He knows why. Those are the days we experience joy and peace, even though our faces do not wear a smile.

The peace we have in Christ is what showers us through the hard days, and what helps us choose joy everyday even if we do not know what is ahead.

When you feel life’s burdens on your shoulders, remember to hand them to God and trust that he knows why. Exchange your troubles for the joy and peace that only God can give you. Like Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it.” Choose joy everyday by trusting in Him and living in obedience to Him. Seek Him every day in the little things, and trust that He has a purpose for your circumstances. Open His word and ask the Holy Spirit to keep you on His path. Remember, even if your circumstances don’t bring a smile to your face, you can still overflow with peace and rejoice.

We want to thank Mayra Ramirez for sharing this post.