31 Days of Joy: Changing Perspective

It isn’t always easy to be joyful.  When circumstances are hard it is easy to feel hopeless and discontent.  When having difficulty keeping up with daily tasks it is easy to become frustrated.  When sick, weak, or in pain it is easy to become discouraged and overwhelmed.

Proverbs 17:22 says that “a cheerful heart is good medicine.”  In addition to keeping my heart and mind focused on what Christ has done for me and the joy that awaits me in Heaven, I find it helpful to keep a joyful perspective on the everyday tasks and challenges.  We have been blessed with so many good gifts; we just need to stop and recognize them.  We need to take the time to cultivate a cheerful heart.  Here are some practical ways that we can choose to stop and see the beauty and joy in the midst of the hard.

When the laundry pile has turned into a mountain:

Thank the Lord that you have a washing machine (chances are, if you have access to the internet, you also have a washing machine or at least access to a laundromat). Washing machines make laundry so much easier! I am so thankful that I don’t have to wash my clothes by hand.  That is certainly something to be thankful for and happy about!

When the dirty dishes have taken over the kitchen:

If you have a dishwasher, thank the Lord for that blessing.  Loading a dishwasher is much easier than washing them all by hand.  If you don’t have a dishwasher, choose to enjoy the time talking and washing dishes with a loved one.  If you are washing dishes by yourself, enjoy the time alone with God; talk to Him.

When your child is sick and awake throughout the night:

Enjoy the opportunity you have to hold and rock your little one.  Before long your child will be grown up and you won’t have those precious moments of snuggling in the middle of the night.

When the baby needs yet another diaper change:

Enjoy the chance to hold your little one.  Look at those pudgy feet and hands.  Give your baby kisses and a zrbtt on his tummy.  Your baby is only little once.  Take joy in the smallness.

When you are sick and stuck in bed:

Thank God for your warm bed.  This is something I often do on the bad days, the days when I don’t feel any strength, only weakness, in my muscles.  It isn’t fun to be confined to bed, but the simple joy of having a bed is something that I am truly thankful for.  A nice, soft, bed makes a bad day more comfortable.

What are some practical ways that you choose cheerfulness and joy in everyday life?  Please share!  I want to hear how you change your perspective from one of sadness, discontent, or frustration to one of gratefulness and joy.

Photo Credit: DaraDPhotography