choosing joy & changing perspective

This phrase is something I think about a lot. It's something I try to do a lot. Choose joy. It's something that sometimes just isn't easy. This week it's been a struggle to choose joy --- between 2 sick kids and a sick husband, little sleep, spending mother's day getting projectile vomited on, and bumps in the road to selling our house--- it's been hard. So much about this idea of choosing joy is, for me, about perspective. So often it's easier to see the negatives. It's easier to gripe or complain or feel bad for myself than it is to look at it differently. Sure, I would've loved to spend Mother's Day being relieved of duties and relaxing, but the reality is, my husband treats me like it's Mothers Day most days. I'm incredibly grateful. Sure, I would love for my kids to not get sick, but I have the ability to get them medicine and am able to stay home with them. My kids are really healthy and I'm so thankful for that. Sure, I'd love for everything to be easy with this house selling process, but regardless, we have a roof over our heads and a wonderful house to call home. We are able to sell our house and I'm thankful.

Thursday was a long day. Aaron was at rugby and we still had about 45 minutes until bedtime. What I wanted to do was put a movie on and plop the kids in front of the tv. I'd had it with the day and the week really. Instead, we went outside and played. The boys rode bikes and played with chalk and we went on a walk. It was the perfect opportunity to choose joy. The perfect opportunity to choose the joy in those moments over the frustrations of the week. And you know what, it was there. The joy was there in those moments that I chose to look at the smiles on their faces, and the sweet moments of sharing between them, and how proud Graham was that he climbed up on Everett's bike.

Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation. --- Rick Warren


This quote just spoke to me. Spoke into my frustrations and current situations and reminded me of the reality of the hope and promises of God being in all those details, even the hard ones. It reminded me of the temporariness of these things and the assurance of His great love for me. Some days choosing joy is harder than others. Some days I just need to change my perspective. Some days I just need to recognize all of the things to be thankful for. Life will not always be what I want it, but I can choose how I live and react to it. I can choose joy even when it's hard and I can give thanks for the good and I can rest in the assurance that it will all be okay.