Worn Out Joy

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. ~Psalm 90:12 (NLT)

“I feel like a truck hit me.” My confession to my husband summed up our recent time off. The holidays and extra free days are supposed to refresh, but all I feel is worn. My great intentions of finding joy and being refreshed by some much-needed time off never happened. Events intervened and time ticked away catching up and dealing with undesired issues. Flashes of fun interspersed my break but somehow my quota of quiet never evolved. In the end, that proverbial truck hit me and I’m exhausted. Not a great entry into a year of finding joy.

Ironic (or maybe not) is when I felt like I needed to find my joy, I found turmoil. It’s been a challenge finding my joy these last few weeks since I felt God share this word with me, but I’m trying. While this post was originally planned differently, it’s still leading me back to one thing. In order to find my joy, I need to seek Him first.

Beginning my day with God is a habit I started a number of years ago and it never lets me down. A recent verse was exactly what I’ve tried to do especially these last few weeks:

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ~Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

The last morning of my time off, I sat down to seek Him and He gave me these words:

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”  ~Isaiah 43:2-3a (NLT)

God knew exactly what I needed and I used it in many applications through yet another rough day. He also gave me this in my reading that morning:

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~Joshua 1: 7-9

These verses strengthened me for the day ahead. They will continue to give us strength, especially for a year of finding joy. This post was originally going to be about habits. I had a different plan and when life got hectic, I was tempted to save time and skip writing this post. But then I realized, part of what God wants me to do is share with you how I follow Him-especially on the challenging days. This following Him walk is difficult, my friends. But as God reminded me and also you: He will be with us.

Seeking Him first is the habit I need to continue. When He feeds me the strength and wisdom I need in His Word and prayer, I find joy, even in the most challenging moments.[tweetthis]I’m #FindingJoy by seeking God first and following His footprints. Join me! [/tweetthis]

If your year ended or is beginning not exactly as you hoped like me, let’s keep seeking Him. Need to find joy? Find it in the little things-a verse God gives to you or a smile from a friend when they don’t even know you need it. Feeling overwhelmed? Create a new habit of chipping away at a big problem step by little step. Remember mountains are often moved one stone at a time.

Seeking Him first is the habit I need to continue. How about you? Join Jill Hoven and be encouraged to follow His footprints.Don’t throw in the towel, keep seeking Him.

Find your joy by habitually seeking His will.

Then obediently step out in faith. Every small step matters.

God is already showing me so many thoughts and ideas on how to find joy. I’ll share them with you here at the beginning of each month and on social media. So far, I’m finding the joy I seek isn’t always what I anticipated. Sometimes it’s my child doing the dishes without being asked or an unexpected helpful gift. Sometimes joy comes in simply finding the strength to persevere when feeling worn.

My habit of seeking Him refreshes my soul to keep following, one footprint at a time. I hope you’ll continue to seek and follow His footprints with me. If you need strength today, send a comment or post on social media using #FindingJoy and let’s together seek Him and find our joy. And if you’re interested, here’s my song for #FindingJoy this year. Enjoy Joy by Jonny Diaz!

Linking up with Deb Wolf at #FaithnFriends,  Holley Gerth at #CoffeeForYourHeart  and Crystal Twaddell at #FreshMarketFriday

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26 thoughts on “Worn Out Joy”

  1. Thank you for posting about JOY… and not habits (even though, I’m pretty sure my obligatory “welcome here, 2017” post will probably cover many hahaha! but still…) Joy is one of those things that doesn’t come naturally– something that we have to search for (like you say)… but it’s also something that is totally different than contentment or happiness… it’s something from within that comes from the Spirit. No wonder we have to seek Him first to find it. And it’s funny, the moment I stop feeling the joy is always about the time when my spirit needs a wake-up call to not only seek Him, but trust Him.

    thanks for sharing — this was spot on nourishment for my soul <3

    Reply
    • I totally agree, Nicole. Joy comes from within and from our Creator. It’s always there, we just need to choose to see, embrace and share it! Even writing this post when I felt like I had no time or energy to do so, gave me such joy-and now also seeing how it is impacting others. Thank you for encouraging me today too!

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  2. Smiling, because I was thinking this week about the “fragments of comfort and joy” that are usually left after the marathon holidays. Thanks be to God that our true source of joy is a year round relationship with the Savior we celebrated!

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  3. Jill,

    I totally get how ‘life’ steals your joy. Twice through linkups I’ve read the verse:
    Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ~Matthew 7:7 (NLT)
    It is very close to me as I’ve been praying for one situation for years and I can see it’s almost settled, but needs a little more prayer. Thanks for the timely encouragement!
    ~Sherry Stahl
    xoxo

    Reply
    • You’re welcome Sherry, and I concur about the verse. It has spoken to me repeatedly too lately. Thanks for your thoughts and praying for resolution to your situation, too! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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  4. How do I say this? Remember, having joy is not a “work.” You shouldn’t feel burdened about having, or not having, joy. It just happens when you continue in God’s Word. You are such a conscientious over-achiever, Jill (and that’s what we love about you), that sometimes you need to be reminded to “just BE.” Don’t try so hard.

    Reply
    • Thanks for the reminder, Rita! Part of why I chose ‘joy’ as my word is I knew I had lost track and sight of finding the joy in the small and in ‘just being’. So, I agree completely. Did you ever see this? http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/slow-down-and-listen/ You, in particular, will appreciate this, I believe. Thanks for your ever present encouragement of me. It’s valued it more than you know.

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  5. God is constantly faithful to speak to me every time I open the word. This is always such a great reminder of who I need to turn to in times when I’m feeling worn out and threadbare. These are so many times when I forget to lean on him for refreshment. Thanks for the encouraging reminder about who the source of all joy is.

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  6. Yes, we must seek him, he is our refuge in the storm. Sometimes life overwhelms us to the point we lose sight of his peace and joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength, I know you found his strength and he will give you joy.

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  7. Wow! Loved reading your post. my word is JOY for 2017. Finding true Joy through Him who gives us life and strength. I am so glad I found your post on By His Grace Bloggers. I love being part of such an amazing group. Hope to keep connected as God continues to fill us with His abundant JOY!

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    • Yes, it is in abiding in Him we find our joy! Excited to share such a powerful word with you! Thanks and let’s keep encouraging our joy together this year Desiree!

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  8. This is so timely for me, Jill. Thank you for following God’s leading to write this post!! The scriptures you’ve shared are exactly what my heart needed to hear. It’s beautiful when God connects us with a community, just when we need it most. Praying for you in this season! <3

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    • Thanks Nicole, remembering to live life by His direction and not mine is a never ending goal. Some days I do better than others, happy His words inspired you! Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. What a great idea Jill! I love that every month you are going to lead us through finding joy so it’s a continual reminder! Looking forward to this, and I agree, that so many times I find joy in the places I do not anticipate:) Happy New Year friend!

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