It’s that time of the year when we get to rummage through the red and green bins the movers hastily unloaded into my new tiny garage. I hope that our favorites made it here without too many chips or cracks that can’t be super-glued or hidden.
I delight in rediscovery as I unwrap each decoration, but I have an old Christmas sign that stays up all year, a centerpiece made of scuffed barnwood proclaiming one word: JOY. I plunk that piece down where I can’t miss it, even if I’m not feeling very joyful. It’s a daily call to action regardless of my feelings: choose joy.
Some seasons, joy comes easy. It sits within easy reach like a plate of Christmas cookies on the table, ready for eager hands. Maybe you are in that season. You feel loved and connected to your husband. Your kids are happy and healthy. You are surrounded by friends and a community that you love. Your base house has so many closets and fantastic flooring! (Okay, a girl can dream.)
But some seasons, the plate on the table is empty. Maybe that’s where you find yourself today, beloved military wife. You begin to dread the morning because yesterday’s worries have overstayed their welcome.
The act of choosing joy when the days are long, lonely, and hard is an act of faith. Some days, joy feels like happiness bubbling over, and other days joy feels like not letting the hard circumstances be the boss of your heart.
You barely have time to wash that smell from his uniforms before it’s time to pack them up again. Choose joy: rest in His presence and hold fast to the hope of reunion.
You have to start all over again with doctors and specialists in getting your child’s needs met. Choose joy: remember how God has always provided and won’t stop now.
Your best battle buddy is two time zones away. Choose joy: look to the One who is closer than a brother. Also, Facetime!
And there just aren’t enough closets in this house, not by a long shot. Choose joy: notice how you’ve filled your home with kind words and acts of love that not even a hundred closets could contain.
If you are struggling to choose joy in this season, please know that you are never alone. There is an army of women who see you, who love you, who have walked where you walked, and who will sit with you and pray with you now until you are able to rejoice again.
How do you find joy in hard seasons?