finding joy right now

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I'm a silver-liner.
You know this about me.
It's easy for me to find happiness in crazy situations. It's what I do.

In the past year I've had days when I struggled to find a happy place.
It's not like I couldn't do it, I just didn't really want to, which is not me.
I can tell you there have been days like this in my life before, just not so many in a row.
The very situation has put me on a quest to build some richness into my private life.
I can't spend my days in sadness. It's a waste. I won't have it.
Here's what I've learned on  my journey.

Light.
Music.
Fresh air.
Sunshine.

These four things bring instant relief from the heaviness.

I'm a silver-liner.
You know this about me.
It's easy for me to find happiness in crazy situations. It's what I do.

Which reminds me that my hope is in the Lord. From there I am able to go to Him and find rest. It's great to have this in my pocket for the days when it's hard. Sometimes it's not enough.

I was doing this yoga video that was put out by Jillian Michaels. At one point she says, "You need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable." If that's not the secret to surviving life in a fallen world, I don't know what is. Funny, right? Wisdom from Jillian Michaels. What's funny is what I look like at that moment in the video! Haha!

Acceptance is freedom. It's one of my favorite quotes from a woman that was a prisoner in Nazi Germany. Accept the things you cannot change and you will find freedom. She wrote these beautiful words from a prison camp. I have applied them to every difficult situation in my life, and I can tell you, these words are true. You can be imprisoned by everything in every way, or nothing in any way, in all circumstances. Who you are is not determined by where you are or what's going on. You can live free- we are free in Christ- no matter what.

All that to say I'm in the thick of learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. I am learning to be at peace in chaos. I am working on being comfortable with my body doing crazy things that I cannot control and do not like. It's a journey, but I'm on the path. I want to be content in plenty and in want. I want to find joy in the midst of pain. It's not easy, but it's possible for those who believe.

Who are you? What brings you joy?

lvb

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