Joy, Joy, Joy

According to Merriam-Webster, joy is a noun meaning a state of happiness or felicity/ a source or cause of delight. But, if you asked me about the joy I found in this day, I would tell you something slightly different.  

Joy is a fresh can of Valspar paint (and getting to splatter it all over some walls).

Joy is giggling and being silly with old friends.   

Joy is being asked to join the First Pres high schoolers as a leader at Fun in the Son. (Yes, my heart is still jumping around in my chest from excitement!)

Joy is a hand-delivered Turkey Tom from Jimmy John's (and if you can't tell by now, I love a good turkey sandwich). 














Joy is spending time with my Momma, even if it was in the waiting room of a doctor's office (shots stink no matter how old you are).

Joy is playing tennis until my sweat was sweating. 

Joy is this pup right here. If this doesn't melt your heart, you need to rethink your life. 

I found a lot of joy in this day. I also found a lot of things that could take the joy out of a day like today.

Joy is not:
-waiting for 2 hours to get a very painful shot
-slamming my finger in the door (you better believe I cried like the 4-year-old that's trapped inside of me) 
-missing my little brother while he's gone (for 17 days!!)
-my MacBook Pro not reading my memory card, disabling me from uploading pictures from my camera

Even with those stinky, no good, yucky excuses to label today as "a bad day", my God let me in on a not-so-secret secret: you have to choose joy. Choose to see the blessings in today instead of the cruddy parts. Choose to apply the knowledge of the gospel (that Christ's love prevailed... he won for us!); choose God over flesh. When you feel like you are in the pit, or down in the dirty clay, remember that God WILL pull you out. Find joy in that. Find the joy in each part of your day. Choose joy.