joy
Don’t Neglect the Gift of Laughter (Book Review)
In the busyness of my days, I too often ignore an essential aspect of a healthy life: laughter. I get so caught up in doing all the things, that taking the time to enjoy life takes a back seat. Laughter simply seems to be a perk I hesitate to take time for. Gift of Laughter…
Receive Joy and Peace (even when life hurts)
We can’t earn peace, joy, and security, nor can we find it in ourselves or our surroundings. But we can receive it, even in our most difficult seasons. Sunlight danced on the walls as I struggled to keep my eyes open. In those twilight moments between deep sleep and fully awake, a film reel kept…
It’s Not Fair! (maybe that’s the greatest blessing of all)
When life doesn’t seem fair, it may be because it truly isn’t—and that might be the greatest blessing of all. Not Fair “It’s not fair,” I muttered as I walked past my husband, his feet up as he continued reading his book. I filled the water bottle for my daughter and glanced at him, my…
Christmas Joy: The One Way To Always Have It
Christmas seldom looks the way we expect it to. We want it to be perfect, but things always get in the way. Squabbles between family members. Stretched finances. Health issues. Work schedules. I struggle with that. A fixer and doer by nature, I want to plan and do enough to make it perfect. But all…
Find Satisfaction in Your Day
Everyday life has a way of zapping the joy and peace right out of a soul. If we’re not diligent, satisfaction will flee and we’ll be left living a hollow existence. About a month ago, I jotted down a Scripture verse on a card and set it on my nightstand where it would be easily accessible. It’s…
The Key to Experiencing Increased Joy
It’s sad how when something is “bad,” it’s bad enough, but when something is “good,” it’s never good enough. Why can’t we accept the gifts as the sweet blessings they are? Negative Mindset “Enjoy the beautiful sunshine,”the clerk encouraged. “I will,” I responded, then quickly added, “now if the temperature would only follow suit.” And then…
Be a Faithful Witness to Your Script: “And It Was Beautiful” (a review)
When I stumbled on Kara Tippett’s blog several years ago, I couldn’t get enough. Drawn in by the vulnerable yet hope-filled updates of her battle with terminal cancer, I drank deep of the wisdom God imparted to her through her suffering. I wrote a review of her first book written in the midst of her…
The Joy of Christmas (yours year-round, even when circumstances are anything but joyful)
It’s not about us. Not really. We like to think it is. We like to think being happy and content is about us and how things are playing out in our lives. We often believe if only things would align the way we’d like, we would be satisfied. If-Only Lies If only our neighbor would quit…
How To Be Generous and Joyful Even Though You’re Miserable
I’m an emotional person; I cry easily (thanks Mom!). In fact, after I hit send on a short email recently, I began to weep. No, it wasn’t a sad or difficult email. Really, it just said “You’re welcome. :)” So why the tears? Because I began to reflect on how I would like to be thought…
That Silent Night: Perhaps It Was Not So Silent (song of joy) #shortburstsofencouragement
Perhaps it is the opening stanzas of “Silent Night”: Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, all is bright; maybe it is merely tradition. Whatever it is, we usually think of the Savior’s birth as one of peace and calm and relative quiet. Peace as in the peace that comes from trusting God, certainly; calm in the…
Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.
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