Joy in the Seasons of Life

 I don’t know if there’s anything I enjoy doing in my leisure time more than watching animals in nature. I love to read, but even that takes effort sometimes. There’s something soothing that happens in my soul when I observe animals in their natural habitat. 

Last night we watched two different momma deer with their babies. Both fawns still had spots and stayed close to Mom. The protective relationship made me think back to my time as a young mother. Both moms were on high alert scanning the landscape for danger. They stopped to graze on tasty limbs hanging low, and yet any sound caused them to stop and check for a possible reason to flee. I’ve felt that way in my life. There were times I wanted to cover Andy and Bailey with my rules laced with wisdom. There came a time though that they left my protective covering and made their own way. That will come soon enough to the spotted babies. I wonder if their mom will grieve the loss of that closeness the way I do. Probably not since she will produce another spotted baby in her next season.

I’m sharing my testimony with a group of women at my church in a couple of weeks on joy in the seasons of life. My season of being a young mom is definitely one of the best seasons of my life–hard sometimes, yet filled with joy. The season I’m in now ranks right up there too. The season of being Gigi is sweet and filled with moments of unbridled joy. There’s something about seeing your children parent their own children that is deeply satisfying–a full circle moment. My husband and I are enjoying the season of retirement and the freedom to spend time with the grands.

There are things I’d do differently with my children, but second-guessing your parenting methods never leads to answers that bless those years. The same goes for the rest of the seasons of my life. I have to remember and believe that God ordained all the days of my life. Every single day had already been written for me before I took my first breath according to Psalm 139:13-16. I must choose to find joy in every season since God Himself sifted what came my way. 

My encouragement to you is to look for moments that will bring you joy in whatever season you are in. It may be found in serving someone else, sitting with pen in hand and recording the simple things, or watching deer through your window. Joy isn’t always found in the big adventures of life. I believe true joy is found in finding contentment in the little things that everyone else takes for granted. Call your parents, hug your children and tell them how much you love them, and don’t forget to thank God for the breath He gave you today. He is the truest path to lasting joy after all.

Join me at Concord Baptist Church on Saturday, July 18^th, from 9:00-11:30 a.m. I’ll be sharing my testimony and Becky Walker, Associate Campus Minister for Women’s Ministries at Anderson University, will be sharing about “Joy Through the Seasons of Life.” There will be a delicious brunch served with sweet fellowship around the table. I’d love to see you!

Choose Joy

 I was listening to a podcast this week while walking, taking a break from audio books. I must encourage you to listen to anything Sally Clarkson writes or records. She comes from a Christian perspective, and particularly ministers to women of every age. Her voice of wisdom is like water for thirsty ground.

 

One of the topics recently was living with joy. I was captivated by her words of encouragement and truth. How do we choose joy when life has dealt us one blow after another? How do we rise to the level of trust in our God when the worst has happened?

 

Not a single one of us has escaped tragedy of some sort. You’re either coming out of a trial, entering a trial, or are firmly established in a trial. Personal relationships are usually found at the center of our deepest woes, but also financial worries, cultural and political wars, and health issues. The great equalizer of the human condition is that none of us are spared trouble. So how do we respond as believers in a faithful God?

 

If you’ve lived long enough, you can testify to the fact that nothing stays the same. As I reflect on my 60+ years, I know that life has balance and rhythm. The very thing that tore me apart twenty years ago is insignificant today, and yet it shaped me into the person I am now. Does that mean I chose joy every time? No, it does not. It’s taken a lifetime to recognize the beauty of choosing joy when my world is falling apart.

 

We all have ongoing pain from a multitude of sources. How we respond makes an impact on our total person, but it also has an affect on those around us. 

 

There are cliché sayings, some even evoke eye-rolls, but when you truly grasp the meaning behind the familiar words, nuggets of truth emerge.

 

“God won’t give us anything we can’t handle.”

There are many things I can’t handle, but because I am never alone, His Spirit lives within me, I can truly say there’s nothing I can’t handle. That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt, but it means I can choose to trust the One who walks with me, guiding me in the path I should go. Choosing joy allows me to move forward in trust.

 

“When the cares of my heart are many,

your consolations cheer my soul.”

Psalm 94:19 ESV

 

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

This one is actually true, and you know what I’m talking about. There’s something miraculous about surviving a trial that had the power to take you out. Choosing joy in this situation looks a lot like praising Him in the storm.

 

“You are a hiding place for me;

you preserve me from trouble;

you surround me with shouts of deliverance.”

Psalm 32:7 ESV

 

 

 

“There’s beauty in the broken.” 

This one I know deep in my heart. Unless we are broken, we cannot help someone else. Have you ever thought God allowed your difficult situation so you could offer joy, compassion, and understanding to another person? If we don’t show the world how to relate to people in kindness and love, how can we expect them to follow the God we love? When we respond with apathy, selfishness, and pride, we lose the voice we have in a world filled with hatred.

 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the

Power of Christ may rest on me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

 

 

My challenge to us all is to choose how you will respond to any given situation, before it happens. Our emotions have the ability to send us down a painful path when we react before thinking. Choose to be grateful for the little things when the big things threaten to tear you apart. Choose to forgive, even when you’ve been wronged, and the other person withholds forgiveness. Choose to love the unlovable. Period. Choose to allow the other person to cut in front of you in traffic. (I need to work on this one.) Choose to allow nature to minister to your brokenness. A walk in your neighborhood, a beautiful garden, or a woodsy path may be just the thing to help you shake off moodiness, or despair. Find the thing that brings you joy and make it a regular activity. Our creator gave us a multitude of beauty to surround ourselves with. It probably won’t solve our problems overnight, but choosing joy gives us the frame of mind to live with a grateful heart.

 

 

I don’t have all the answers, but I know the One who does. Going through many trials, I learned to trust the Word of God. It literally saved my life, and gave me joy. That, my friends, is something I’ll never tire of speaking about.