God used Psalm 73 to bring me joy today. He comforted and reassured my heart.  It was a tender moment in the middle of my day when I happened to be in my bedroom and saw my Bible. I remembered I hadn’t read it yet today, and since I had a few minutes before my next appointment, I flopped on the bed and opened it to my bookmark. I’ve been reading the Psalms since summer. It was all very happenstance and unplanned. I thought I would read and go on with my day.  I didn’t have any expectations….but God spoke to me in the very core of my unsettled, somewhat torn and tumultuous heart, at the place of some of my greatest struggles with identity, insecurity, jealousy and bitterness. He gently spoke His love, hope and encouragement to me. 

My day went on in all of its normalcy, but the joy of being reminded of God’s care for me remained in the middle of it all. 

My joy had come to me today before I ever got out of bed. It was in the form of a text saying my daughter’s school was delayed two hours, followed by another saying my classes I was to teach would be cancelled, and finally one saying my daughter’s school was closed. ❄️🌨💨😊 I needed some extra sleep and an extra day to do some chores (like still putting away my Christmas decorations 😩). I still have half of them to put away, but I made a dent in it, and I made homemade soup 🍜; I put my clean laundry away and got the trash out to the curb. 

Sometimes , it’s the simplest things, like the gift of more time to do chores and getting a little more rest, that can bring me joy.  

I subbed today as an office secretary at our high school. My daughter’s friends talked with me when they came into the office. One gave me a hug 🤗; we’ve been friends with her and her family since she and my daughter were in 2nd grade. A couple of mom’s of my kids’ friends had business in the office and spoke with me. I helped one on the phone. 

Then, there were teachers, coaches, couselors, and staff who had impacted the lives of my three children. We’ve been connected with this high school for ten years now, since my oldest son entered ninth grade. Many connections have been made. 

Reminders of all these connections brought me joy today. I felt joy in spite of getting up at 5:30, which I despise. Joy was in my heart regardless of the negative experiences my kids had at times in that school. It was the joy of knowing and being known, of belonging and feeling a part of a community. 

Yes, it was a bittersweet joy as well, because we’ll be moving from here sometime this year. Our daughter will graduate and we will move to where my husband now works , 3 hours away. Nonetheless, there was joy in my life today in the midst of all these circumstances….in spite of them…because of them 

….#gojackets!!

Today was spent with my daughter. We have our ups and downs, yet, there is much joy in my life because of her. My greatest joy today has been simply having quality and quantity of time with her. 

I’ve had an idea impressed upon my spirit that I have a special focus on joy during this season between Epiphany and Easter.  When I speak of joy, I do not mean anything fake or contrived. I also do not mean that I will ignore grief or sorrows or difficulties and only focus on sunshine and rainbows. My desire is to point out joy every day, in the midst of the hard times, in spite of the sorrows, or joy that is found because of the impact of an otherwise sad happening in my life. 

Today, I have already had two joys surprise me. One was from simply reading a friend’s post on Facebook that made me laugh while also feeling a comradery with others, a sense of belonging and acceptance in the midst of this big world.  ( Thanks Heidi!😁)

My second joy so far today came from seeing the snow sparkling in my yard. Even though it’s a bitter cold, zero degree day, the snow and sun ☀️ on a January day make me warm inside. As I wash my dishes and think of how this is to be my last January in this home, in this “small town” life, their is joy in my spirit for all the memories we have made here, the friends, the moments of fun and laughter, as well as tears, as a family in this home. The snowy scenery around our house has been a constant for fifteen years, and I’m so thankful for God’s gift of allowing us to raise our family in one location for the majority of their growing up years.  That is my Epiphany today, God’s manifestation of Christ’s work in my life, and it brings me joy to think of all the ways He has worked and revealed Himself to me, and reaffirms to me that He is not done with me , or my family. 

 (If you are curious about Epiphany, here is a great link that would help you better understand it:  https://www.google.com/amp/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/18/what-is-the-epiphany-and-when-in-2017-is-it-here-are-10-facts-ab/amp/?client=safari)

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