Have you lost your joy in the busyness of life? It’s easy to let that happen, and we need to guard against it. I believe the Lord delights in seeing our hearts filled with joy.
One day when I was in the kitchen doing dishes, my husband was in the living room playing with the kids. I smiled to myself as I heard their laughter. They kept laughing more and more, and finally I went in the living room to watch.
Before long I found myself laughing right along with them. It made my heart glad to see my children having fun. I love to hear them laugh!
I remember returning to the kitchen to finish doing the dishes and thinking:
If I get so much joy out of seeing my children laughing, how pleased the Lord must be when he sees His children filled with joy!
I bet God just loves to watch us laugh and have a good time. He probably laughs along with us at times. The Lord must especially delight when he sees our hearts overflowing with His joy.
But how often does He see that?
It’s easy to get so busy and burdened down with our duties that we lose the joy of the Lord. He doesn’t get to hear the laughter that flows from the joy He gives us.
Have you lost your joy?
1. Fatigue
If you’re worn out, slow down and get some rest. Let the things go that don’t matter, and focus on your priorities.
The rest of those things REALLY can wait! (One of your priorities should be to get enough rest!)
2. Circumstances
It’s very easy as homeschooling moms to be joyful on the days that the kids are all behaving, the school schedule is just moving right along, and things are running smoothly.
Being realistic though, not all days are going to be like that, and we have to maintain the right spirit despite the circumstances and how things may be going.
3. Discouragement
Perhaps you are discouraged about the behavior of one of your kids, or you feel discouraged about your home school. Discouragement is normal, but you can’t give in to it.
When discouragement comes, talk to a friend who will encourage you. Often just sharing what we are discouraged about with someone who has similar struggles, is a big help.
Also, learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord! Find verses that will lift your spirit when you are discouraged, and sing songs and hymns that minister to your spirit.
I love this verse in I Samuel 30:6:
….but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God
4. Hormone imbalance
If you are struggling with more discouragement than usual, or even with depression, it could be that your hormones are out of balance. That can drastically change your outlook on things! (My series HOMESCHOOLING & HORMONES will help if you are struggling with hormonal issues.)
5. Wrong Thinking
When we are tired or discouraged, it’s EASY to listen to the wrong voices, rather than to the Voice of Truth.
When you find yourself thinking you aren’t qualified, or you are a failure, etc. REFUSE THOSE THOUGHTS and replace them with the truth. Again, go to God’s Word and claim verses to help you to think His thoughts.
6. Comparison
It is SO easy to look at what others and think they have it all together, or are doing more than we are with our kids/home school, or are doing better than we are, etc.
What we fail to remember is that each family and home is different, and what works for them may not work for us.
God calls each family to different things, so we must not compare ourselves to others!
We must keep our eyes on God, rather than others, or we risk losing our joy.
I don’t know about you, but I want my kids to remember me as a A Joyful Mother.
Joy is a choice that I need to choose daily, but in order to do that I have to regularly encourage myself in the Lord.
What are you allowing to steal your joy? Ask God daily to help you to overcome those things, and help you to be filled with His joy![magicactionbox]
11 Responses
That is great advice. Thanks for sharing!!
Kathie, Thanks for the great reminder! Your article reminds me of some advise one of my friends gave me at the baby shower of my oldest daughter. She said that when the times of frustration come and you feel like you are going crazy, just sit back and watch your children. “You will fall in love with them all over again.” This happened to me recently on a Friday while I took my younger girls to the chiropractor. Struggling with being one time and encouraging my children to have “gracious” behavior, etc… can be draining – not to mention the rest of life. As I watched my youngest girl on the table getting adjusted, I saw again her sparkly sense of humor and unique personality. I can’t help but thank God for what He is doing in her life and in the lives of our family through her.
Hi Nale! Thanks fo much for those encouraging words! And so glad to have you all the way from Chile!!
Hi kathie, I love your posts, everything you talk about I feel related, thanks so much, greetings from a fellow hs mom from Chile
Jennifer — Ha, that comment about politics made me laugh! So true — I’m rather tired of the whole discussion. 🙂
I would definitely add “politics” to your list of things that can steal our joy! 😉 Thank you for redirecting our gaze back toward our true Source of joy. I’m so glad you shared this with us at Grace & Truth!
I love to hear my kids laugh, and joining them in their laughter is even better. I was just praying for more joy this morning, and reminding myself that the joy of the Lord is my strength. Thank you for your list of “joy stealers” to use as a reminder of what I need to be watching out for 🙂 Your friend at Grace & Truth.
You’re right – hearing kids laugh is rather contagious. Thanks for stopping in!
Hearing my children laugh makes me happy as well! There is something about a child’s laughter! I love how you compared that to how God must feel when we have joy, its so true. Thank you for the reminder to be filled with joy today!
Thanks Ed!
Great post. Your 6 common things that steal your joy is a very helpful reminder. Thanks for sharing.