The Most Joy-filled Moments In My Day
There are rare moments when all the laundry in my house is completely caught up.
While I get a quick sense of glee over this fact, it is not the most joy-filled moment of my day.
Sometimes my counters can actually be found clean of all snack and meal debris and the sink does not have a single dirty dish in it.
As a person who values a clean kitchen and dining area, I get a sense of satisfaction from the sight. However, this is not the most joy-filled moment of my day.
Once a week, I enjoy stepping back and admiring my freshly cleaned bathroom for the two seconds before my kids head in and undo what was done!
The two seconds of bathroom cleanliness is not the most joy-filled moment of my day.
Sometimes, I get to sit and read while my kids actually nap at the SAME time.
While this is quiet and refreshing for me, this is not the most joy-filled moment within my day.
Every once in the while, I hit on the perfect supper menu that is cooked exactly the way I imagined it would be.
Even as I enjoy savoring these type of meals, I will gladly inform you that this is not the most joy-filled moment of my day.
There are even occasional days where my kids let me sleep until my alarm clock goes off!
Even this rare occurrence is not the most joy-filled moment of my day.
My Most Joy-filled Moments
The most joy-filled moment in my day as a Christian wife and mother are when sin is losing the battle in our home.
My husband and I love as Christ loved. During hard conversations, we respond with quiet, patient words instead of harsh words. We consider each others needs first. On crazy days, we make our marriage a priority by choice.
My kids share toys and consider each other. They stop whining and chose to be grateful. As they go through their day, they treat each other kindly.
My prayers to God are natural out-pourings of my heart rather than grumbled muttering done out of obligation. As I study my Bible, I focus on catching sight of my Savior rather than just finding a quick fix for my momentary woes.
When sin is losing, our home is blessed with true joy that lends itself to early glimpses of heaven!
These joy-filled moments remind of how much God blesses me, how He is truly in control and can help me handle everything I come across in my daily life.
The moments where sin is losing help me catch small those small little peeks at what I picture will be heaven. Moments where God is big and my sinful, fleshly nature is not in control anymore.
There is such true joy to found in these times!
Joy-Filled Moments In Parenting
Just the other day my daughter was having a pretty typical two-year-old melt down. She wanted something out of the broom closet that she was not allowed to have. She knows she is not allowed to have this object but that did not stop her from throwing a horrific screaming fit on the ground.
Honestly, I just wanted to snap at her to get up and then move on with my day.
But God seemed to tap me on the shoulder in that moment and whisper, “Teach now.”
So I joined my screaming child on the floor and waited for her calm a little bit. As her screaming lessened to whiny begging, I launched into a story with her. She loves the story of Creation. So I started talking about Adam and Eve and how they hadn’t listened to God but they threw a fit too and made a poor choice. God had given them the option to listen or the option to disobey and have to leave their special garden. Adam and Even decided to disobey so God had to make them leave.
Then I told her that she was being given an option too. She could stand up, close the broom closet door, and come play with her brother and me in the living room. Or she could take the forbidden item out of the closet and she would face the time out chair. (She really hates the time out chair right now so this is one of the more effective ways of helping her realize she is not making a wise decision.)
After saying this in a way calmer voice than I felt, I simply walked down the hall to the living room. It took an agonizing moment of quiet but I finally heard her stand, click the closet door shut and head to the living room.
It is safe to say, she was greeted by a very excited Mommy who cheered her for making a good decision. At first, she seemed a little confused about why I was pleased with her decision. However, when I mentioned that Jesus helped her make a wise decision and He was smiling because of her good choice, my daughter’s face lit up!!
It was a light bulb moment. She caught a small glimpse of the fact that her actions really affect others and even Jesus!
Satan and the sin nature that we all have to deal with lost a little ground in our home that day. And I must say that joy was present in my heart despite the weariness I felt that day!
Joy-Filled Moments With Food
Recently, we set aside some time to completely cut out sugars and severely limit our carbs and some unhealthier food options from our diet. As much as I try to keep eating healthy, I will admit that my sweet tooth will get the best of healthy eating intentions in a hurry!
For several weeks, my husband and I stepped away from many unhealthy food habits and food choices. It was really hard for me. Especially during nap time. I would find myself craving my stolen snack foods. For several months, I had slowly been starting to binge on junk food whenever I had a quiet moment without kids.
Basically, I was using food to cope and to congratulate myself for surviving so far through the day. God started to show me all these ways I was relying on food was unhealthy. I wanted food to fill a gap in my life that only He should be filling.
Food is there to give me the energy I need to serve Him, not to emotionally prop me up so I could continue on in my day. No, I haven’t become a crazy healthy nut by any stretch of the imagination.
In fact, this last weekend, we celebrated my son’s first birthday and we ate HUGE portions of cake and ice cream. But it was not an emotional eating that helped me make it through my day. Food is not being my reward throughout my day or my replacement for the comfort that I should only seek from God.
Realizing that God is changing this in me brings me so many joy-filled moments in my day as I deal with food in a healthier mindset!
Joy-Filled Moments In Marriage
Want to know what some of my most joy-filled moments of marriage are? There are situations that arise throughout our days when one or both of us could give into whiny, complaining about the other person. In those moments when we let God take over and help us respond with patience, kindness, and grace, I sense a joy surround our marriage in ways that it normally wouldn’t.
Basically, we are denying ourselves our “right” to pout and tear the other person down. This is definitely not our natural human reaction. It is a reaction based off of Christ living and working in us and that brings joy!
Joy-Filled Christian Disciplines
This last one is something I almost didn’t even write about.
Why? Because I feel bad even writing this.
Sometimes, I find the Christian disciplines of prayer and Bible study to be tedious and dare I even whisper it? Boring. Sometimes I find it mediocre at best.
There are days when I can barely keep my eyes open to read a few Bible verses during my Bible study time. Other times, my thoughts are so disjointed that I hesitate to even call what I am doing a prayer.
My fleshly nature bulks at the idea that I should find communicating with God through prayer an enjoyable, on-going conversation. My human body grumbles against the mental focus that is necessary to deeply study and wrestle with the truth found in God’s Word.
Watching mindless flicks on TV is easier. Scrolling through Facebook for the 17th time that day is the easier decision to make.
God has really convicted me that this is an area where I have been letting my flesh and sin nature win a LOT. So, this year, I have been battling back. And no, I am no where near where I want to be in this area yet. (Probably won’t be there until I am in heaven…)
However, this year, Bible reading has become a part of my daily life. Often, my daughter joins me on the couch while I study my Bible. And guess what?
As I have daily set aside minutes and even hours of mindless pleasures, I have found joy-filled moments of pouring over and studying Scripture. There have been nights when I have woken up to nurse my son and found myself just naturally talking to God.
As my fleshly desires have been denied here and there, I have found joy started to show up again during these precious moments of Christian disciplines.
Your Turn
Christ came that we might experience true joy. Joy in the fact that He has won over sin and death. And most definitely joy in in the fact that we can have a relationship with Him!
Let’s take a few minutes and simply savor these joy-filled moments of the sin nature losing ground in our hearts, our homes, our parenting, and our marriages.
What joy-filled moments have you recently glimpsed in your life?
Please share your moments in the comments below so we can rejoice together!
Thanks for stopping by!
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