Choosing Joy

We're having an interesting couple days - the kids are being really mean to one another, and I'm pretty sure that our daughter is getting sick (she's currently napping, which is definitely out of the ordinary). Learned of another death in the family. Started the process of getting that crown (so my mouth is now really sore) and also discovered we'd have to pay out of pocket rather and get reimbursed rather than paying directly out of our FSA account.

In the midst of it all, I've started re-reading Naked Fruit. I know it was used in MOPS, but it was before my time. Anyway, I finished the chapter on joy while I was eating lunch. Some thoughts to share:

"Happiness comes from the root hap, which means chance. Happiness is circumstantial. It has to do with life going the way we want it to go and the feeling we experience when that happens...

The fruit of joy is confidence in God. Joy is confidence in God's grace, despite circumstances - despite what happens. Joy is the ability to hold up because we know we are being held up. Joy is the conviction that God is in control of every detail of our lives even when those details appear to be out of control...

Naked joy is vulnerable... It's not about us getting what we want when we want it. It's about God and his character - and what we really believe about him... Naked joy reveals to us what we believe about God. Further, it reveals what we believe about God to those who are watching and wondering how we'll respond when life happens to let us down."

I made this frame last fall, as a reminder to keep things in perspective when things don't go "my" way. It's in the kitchen, where I see it daily. I have so much to learn.