Allowing Joy

I’m determined to let Joy have its way in me today.

There are some days that make finding that elusive internal balance a real chore. Finding a sense of balance – a way of “having it all” – has always been an issue for women, it seems, for as far back as time goes.

I heard a Bible lesson taught once, and its message has stuck with me. It was all about the balance of life. The rise and fall, the lulls and the swells, that life’s ocean carries us on. Things come. Things go. People come. People go. Circumstances are bad. Circumstances are good.

It’s the circle of life, and it’s only in coming full circle that balance is achieved. Good wouldn’t be recognized as ‘good’ if not for the balance of the ‘bad.’ Sweet wouldn’t taste nearly as delectable without the memory of sour.

When we step back and look through the lens of clarity it’s almost easy to see this external balance at work in our lives, and in the world around us. So I’ve been thinking this morning, are not the internal scales of balance working in much the same way?

So often I think that every segment of who I am must be at work simultaneously. The thinker. The spiritual woman. The creator. The caretaker. I expect all of these things, of course, to work in perfect tandem with my roles as mom, wife, friend, writer, student, encourager, leader, sister, Nana, aunt…

It is then that the weariness and the moments of second-guessing myself tries to step in. Tries to rob me of all that I’ve been told is mine for eternity. It’s in those moments that I cling to this verse:

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.” ~ Isaiah 55:12-13

I just checked and there is no S for SuperWoman on my chest. (Furthermore, I don’t even own a cape.)

When viewing individual days, balance is not always visible. Some days are fraught with hassles that require very little creativity but a lot of intense care. Other days are nothing but creative. Still others will be spent in quiet speculation, only to be followed the next 24 hours by merriment and a sense that anything at all is entirely possible.

We aren’t capable of seeing this internal balance at work in our lives. It truly is a matter of waking each morning with one purpose for that day. Lord, direct my thoughts, my path, my life today.

It’s loving Him so much that we seek only His approval. It’s loving ourselves enough to have mercy when we stumble and resolve enough to get right back up and try again. It’s loving others so intently that the frustrations of occasionally being thrown off-balance are virtually undetectable in the light of doing what is right.

It’s about letting Joy have its way in me today.