I’ve been feeling a little down lately, so I decided to challenge myself to seek out joy. What better way to pull myself out of the dumps than practicing a little gratitude, acknowledging blessings – large and small – in my everyday life? The things that make me smile, cause me to be happy… bring joy.
So, I made a promise to post something on Facebook that represented joy each day for 30 days. I missed a couple days, but I always tried to catch up, and recognize legitimate things that really happened or really did bring me joy on each day. So here is the journey of joy in 30 days… all in one sitting:
Day 1: Matt sent me some photos of Cassie, Aidan and Cambria from Disneyland… yes, these brought me JOY today! The pictures and John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 
Day 2 - I love fall, and can’t resist a little taste of fall in the form of anything pumpkin spice. Starbucks will do today!
Day 3 -Today, my joy was spending a little time with one of my best friends Denise Bobbitt. Best Friend hugs are a joy, any day!
Day 4 -This entry was spoken at Church this morning, where the message from our guest speaker was Love Your Enemy. Incredible message from Portico Church – you can listen to it online if you like. The words from one of the songs “Your Love Never Fails” seems appropriate today: There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning
Day 5 - While driving in to work I saw a flock of birds flying over the field next to the road – they looked like shore birds, maybe cattle egrets?-but they gave me such a sense of peace and happiness, I had to smile. Matthew 6:26
Day 6 – Help Samuel Fundraiser at Chik FilA – What a blessing it was to be a part of something so wonderful! www.helpsamuel.org
Day 7 - I LOVE Arizona sunrises…even over the freeway.
Day 8 - Reflecting on the Bible Study at our house on Wednesday nights and the Live Out Group that meets on Thursdays. I’m combining the two, because you start with God’s love, add some old friends and new friends, and toss in some yummy food for good mix – and this will be a fun couple nights of the week!
Day 9 - EASY ONE! Today is both my Mom and my 1st Grandchilds Birthday! How cool to have a dual celebration like that? We got to hang out with most of the family, and that is always a reason to smile. Happy Birthday Mom and Paige!
Day 10 - Beginning of an intense and incredible Bible Study, with one of my dearest friends in the group. The love that I have for my friends – and they have for me – is a constant source of joy for me.
Day 11 - Days with no organized plans that still include company (Mom) joining us for lunch (Spaghetti) is a GOOD day.
Day 12 – I love that God loves me where I am, in any given moment, whether I am faithfully in the Word, or if I’ve stumbled and fallen, He loves me. I was reminded of this listening to the radio – “He doesn’t care where I’ve been, only where I am going.” Thank you for your Grace, my Abba Daddy!
Day 13 – Prayers through instant message with an old High School friend = joy in my heart.
Day 14 – Hamburger Helper. 
Day 15- Receiving a hand written note in the mail from a long distance friend!
Day 16 – Pandora Free Radio online. (Currently it’s playing Christmas music.)
Day 17 – GIVING BACK brings me joy. The fact that I am working, earning a paycheck, and am able to give back to the communities I am a part of… yes – that makes me smile. This is the time of year that many charities come out and ask for donations. My company has core values that include giving back to the communities that we serve. There are many people hurting out there, and if we who are working and able to do something don’t do it, then who will help the hungry and cold?
Day 18 – Coffee, pie, and long talks with new friends. I got to spend the evening with a new friend. We had hoped that others would join us, but afterwards, I was glad everyone else was busy. Because I got to have a great conversation with a new friend, and it was good.
Day 19 – 1 Peter 2:9-10 ♥ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. *** I read this in my Bible Study this week. It was a verse I’d not really internalized in the past, but I did this week. Today I focused on it for a while, and the part about ME being one of God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood, a special possession of God – really touched my heart. That we have the HONOR of declaring – stating to everyone – praises of God, because He called us out of darkness, and into the Wonderful Light… wow.
Day 20 – 1 Cor 13:8 - Love Never Fails. God is Love. Wow, that statement REALLY brings JOY to my heart.
Catch Up – Day 23 – I completely lost track of where I was in my countdown, but I know that today is Day 23 in my 30 day journey in Joy – because I numbered them on my calendar at work. The ability to start fresh every day is a joy for me… ♥ Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:23 NLT
Day 24 – baking spice scented candles that remind me of the holidays and baking… without the added calories that actual baking would mean!
Day 25 – my GRANDDAUGHTERS! Paige reading to Cambria! Sweetness was never so cute.
Day 26 - Being welcomed into the home of a friend is a BIG joy on my list.
Day 27 – experiencing the beauty of God’s creation in the form of Estes Park, Colorado.
Day 28 - enjoying worship at a different church with friends, feeling completely at home – like sitting at their kitchen table along with God.
Day 29 - knowing that friends are friends no matter how far apart we are.
Day 30 - I listened to the words to Amazing Grace… and it felt fitting that I should make that my last Joy Journal Entry. Amazing Grace provides me with a deep and satisfying joy… I need nothing else but God’s Grace.
Thanks for taking this journey with me for the past 30 days. I know the actual “walk” was through Facebook, but compiling it here in the background has given me a lot to think about, and I’m considering quite a few things that came up over the last 30 days.
I’ll be writing more on those items, so be prepared for a bit of reflecting back to this post over the next few weeks and months.
And I’ll try to keep it all full of JOY!
