Monday, September 10, 2012

Embracing the Little Joys.

"The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here! Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now, joy might be-- unbelieveably-- possible!"
~Ann Voskamp

Sometimes I feel like my life is a long journey that is flying by at the speed of light. I often tell my friends not to wish away the moments they are in now, because when we look back, we'll realize that we overlooked some of the best moments of our lives. And as much as I say this, it's easy for me myself to overlook the simple truth: there are little joys all around me, that all too often come and go without even an acknowledgement of their existence.

I've been reminded of this overlooking as I have started to read "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. I'm only in the beginning of the book, but as I read through the first several chapters, I was reminded that perhaps the joy in life mustn't come from a big event, but rather all the small ones that we overlook on a daily basis.

I think as a mom, especially one who stays at home, it's easy to get caught up in the lie that my work doesn't matter. It's true that my work is often overlooked. The folding of laundry, the cleaning of dishes, the wiping of butts... it's monotonous, behind the scenes necessities that are rarely acknowledged, but always missed should they not get done. And I think that as a mom, when I start to feel down on myself and focus on how non-sparkly my life is, that I can lose focus of the fact that God has sprinkled little joys throughout my day without me even so much as acknowledging HIS blessings. Dirty dishes seem like such a pain (and are something that I really don't like doing). But what if I changed my way of thinking and instead looked at them as a joy in my life because when I have dishes that are dirty, it means that the Lord has provided food on my table for my family. Dirty diapers fill my day (and my trash cans), while depleting my wallet. But what if instead I thanked the Lord that I could afford diapers and wipes, and that I had a healthy baby boy who fills them up? Dirty laundry? At least I have clothes to wear, and a washing machine right past my kitchen... no need to travel to a laundry mat.

My list could go on, but I'm not sure that it's necessary to do so. I think God is wanting to teach me, to bang into this stubborn head of mine, that instead of wishing away the monotony that I have from day to day, to embrace it and find the joy that He has placed there for me.
 

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