Choosing Joy

For the past week and a half I’ve been participating in Pam Farrel’s Red Hot Wives Challenge. This morning I woke up feeling BLASE:

bla·sé

bläˈzā/

adjective

adjective: blasé unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before.

God’s timing is always perfect. This morning, the challenge focused on choosing joy. Pam reminded us of Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is my strength,” and encouraged us as wives to enjoy a “Joy Splurge” – doing something simple that revives us and restores our joy. The day is young, but I’ve already experienced several joy splurges:

Although I’m on a journey to healthy living, I enjoy a rich, steamy cup of hot chocolate every once in a while. Joy splurge number one this morning – relaxing in my favourite comfortable chair with a cup of hot chocolate before the rest of the family woke up.
Instead of writing this morning between 6-6:30, I focused on reading and “refilling” my inspiration tank. Joy splurge number two – reading a few pages in Practice by Practice by Kathleen Gibson.
Every morning I choose to put music on while I’m preparing breakfast. Joy splurge number three – Awesome God: A Cappella Worship (Keith Lancaster & The Acappella Company)
Getting our five children out the door to the school bus is often a challenge. This morning I glanced up between wiping the table and putting my daughter’s hair in a pony tail. God gave me joy splurge number four in the beautiful sunrise. Here are the pictures I snapped, after I pointed out the window and encouraged my family to join me.