Good Days Are Always Possible

Most days for me are good ones. I don't have a lot of drama, I am blessed in almost all aspects of my life, and I really don't have a reason to complain. But regardless of how blessed I am, it's easy to fall into the trap of living each day as if they were just "blah".

I find that even when nothing bad has happened in my day, I often get annoyed, depressed, or bored if nothing life-changing happens. But seriously guys, I don't have to have a mind-blowing, jaw-dropping day of events to enjoy life. So it begs the question: why do I live life like I do need that to be happy?

As cliche' as it may be, it really is the simple things in life that keep me going! When I look at the things that matter most to me, it's mostly things like relaxing with my family as we talk and watch television, or going out to dinner with my hubby. Those are the things that make me happy. I don't need flashy adventures to enjoy myself. And I have all ideas that if you look hard enough, you'll find the same thing to be true in your own life.

A Simple, Happy Day

A few weeks ago, I decided that I wasn't going to wait around any longer to ride a bike again. I love riding, but I don't have anyone in my life that likes to ride (other than my dad who lives 3 hours away). I don't like riding bikes by myself- it's just not as fun. But I was sick of waiting around, hoping to find someone who loves to ride.

So I got my stuff together, headed to the park, and I went for my first ride in several years.

I'm not gonna lie- my butt hurt after about one minute ;)

But it felt so good to be on a bike, and to get some exercise without more walking. I only did 2.5 miles, which is nothing really, but I am so out of shape that that was it for me. Plus, I was going to South Carolina for the day so I couldn't stay long anyway.

Farm Time

I'm not a farm girl. Grass makes me itch, I hate poop, and I squeal if a bug flies at me. But I love going to my mom's farm and spending time with her, seeing her work with her animals, and petting the ones that are friendly enough to pet ;)

I love spending time with Blaze- the cutest farm-puppy ever- and petting the gross, fat, pot-bellied pigs. The female pig just had babies on Wednesday actually, and I am so excited to meet them (and hold them, and squeeze them, and love them <3 )

We didn't do anything exciting, really. We just hung around the house and ate lunch together. Then I headed home and watched Netflix with Taylor until I was too tired to stay awake any longer.

Why Am I Telling You About a Random Day?

It doesn't make a difference in your life that my mom's pig had babies, or that I finally got to ride a bike again. It won't help you in your troubles or bring you real joy. But there's more to this post than just boring you with the details of my day. Pinky promise! ;)

No. The point is this: My simple day should be an encouragement to you that everyday, "boring" or not, can be a huge blessing.

I didn't do anything record-breaking, and I didn't "accomplish" anything that day, but I enjoyed it, I treasure it, and it meant a lot to me. Why? Because family time is important. Because doing things that you enjoy- even when you do them by yourself- is a luxury that not everyone has. There are children in other countries who don't really ever get to experience childhood. They have to be adults as soon as they can walk and talk. But we not only get to experience growing up in a relatively safe environment, but we also get to pursue our passions, our hobbies, and time with those we love, even as adults.

So look around at your "blah" day. Is it really "blah", or are you missing out on the little moments that could actually bring you joy if you'd let them?
Take stock of each day. Let them be a blessing, even in the plain, mundane, lack-luster days. Chances are, they aren't nearly as "lack-luster" as you've believed them to be.

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3 Steps Towards a More Joy-filled Life

You know those moments of introspect, when you learn something disheartening about yourself? Those "oh crap! Am I really like that?" moments. Those are fun, right? Well, when I have those moments, I am often convicted of the fact that I really don't live with joy. I complain about things when they aren't perfect, I'm grumpy when things don't go as planned, and even when I'm having a good day, it's easy to just float through in my own little world.

I have been given so much! There is absolutely no excuse for grumpiness, lingering anger, or even just floating through.

For those of us who know Jesus, the only life we should be living is a joy-filled one.

But what if we don't feel joyful? How do we change that around? Today, I am sharing 3 steps that can help you start living a more joy-filled life.

Praise 

My mama has always told me that when we praise God, things tend to change in our hearts. When we are stuck in a rut and only thinking of ourselves (which is usually when we are joyless, coincidentally) if we decide to praise God instead, we will find much more peace and joy.
Praising God takes the focus off of us and puts it onto God and His goodness.

Service

Psalm 100:2 says "Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!" And I think that this is an indication that serving the Lord can actually cause joy. Sure, serving can be hard work, but if we are serving for the right reasons (A.K.A. for God's glory and sharing His love with others), serving can actually become fun, beautiful, and joy-filled.
Serving God and serving others reminds us of how big the world is, how minuscule most of our problems are, and how good we really have it.

Choose

Though it is true that we cannot do anything good apart from God and His Spirit (John 15:5), the Bible also seems to indicate that joy (and all the other fruits of the Spirit) are, at least to some degree, a choice. 2 Peter 1:5-8 says it best:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

In my eyes, it is absolutely clear that we have a big part in cultivating godliness in our lives, and living in godliness is living by the fruit of the Spirit. So when we aren't feeling joyful, it is our responsibility to both ask God to provide joy and for us to choose to be joyful.
We often say that we cannot change how we feel. Sometimes, that's true. We don't always have the strength to snap our fingers and say, "Ok, I'm joyful now" (that'd be the coolest talent ever though!), but we do have the ability to say, "I will be thankful, I will praise God, and I will remember His goodness". That should jump-start our joy meter pretty well if we are truly focusing on doing those things.

With all the above said, living a more joy-filled life is not a formula. Sometimes, even in service to God, we struggle to find joy. Sometimes, we can't seem to bring ourselves to praise Him. But trust me, if you (we) live these things out consistently, and don't give up, our joy will increase. It may not be overwhelming, but it will happen. Praising God genuinely for all He's done and who He is, serving God with right intentions, and making up our minds to be more joyful will all work together to actually create that joy we've been longing for. God will give us joy if we live in godliness before Him and have our hearts turned in the right direction!