Today was a busy day. Doug was out of town and Mom has been here to help, so I took advantage of the time to clean -- throughly clean-- the house. I vacuumed, dusted, mopped, scrubbed, rearranged, moved and decluttered. The result? A clean, organized, refreshed home. Ahhhhh.....lovely.
Cleaning the house like this reminds me of the cleaning out in my life that I am to do as well, in order to recapture my joy. I have managed, over time, to surround myself with things or people that are draining my joy. I have allowed this to happen, sometimes knowingly and others inadvertently, and it is stopping now. Just stopping isn't enough. It's time to clean out.
I started with Facebook. There are people that I am friends with on facebook that are not healthy relationships. They drain my joy, they cause pain and heartache (not to mention heartburn) and just generally zap me to the point of tears. I am letting go..."unfriending" so to speak and moving on without them. Perhaps this is a harsh approach to take, but a boundary line has been drawn and I must stick to it.
Proverbs 15:13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit
My verse today reminds me that just looking joyful isn't enough. I need to remind myself of God's plan and desire for us to be joyful in Him. What do I have in my life that could bring me down, when reminded of His grace and mercies? How can I NOT find joy in my day in light of that? Focusing on God and his many blessings in my life allow me to let go of the heartache and have a happy heart. A heart filled with gratitude for God and joy in Him. As the proverb says, this happiness in my heart will radiate from my face, my smile. The heartache is gone, no longer crushing my spirit.
Today I found joy in:
-throughly cleaning out my home
-the company of my Mother
-my child learning the fun of a new toy
Today I release:
-the poison of a friendship that is causing heartache
-the worry over Samantha's cardiologist appointment tomorrow
-the angst I feel over planning big events this year and not having family be joyful about them. If they make my little family happy, I shall plan them. Whoever shows up, great-- we will celebrate with them and not mourn those that chose to exclude themselves.
Lord, I thank you today for my many blessings. For my family, my friends and most of all for YOU. Today I find joy in You, resting in your presence, singing praises to you for my daughter to hear and hopefully remember as she grows. I thank you for the joy that you brought to my attention in my child, my mother and the seemingly simple act of being a good housewife and spending my time wisely and honorably. I pray for your guidance and strength on the items that I am letting go of. I pray for the removal of relationships that are robbing my joy, I pray for Samantha's appointment tomorrow-- that I not be anxious and trust in Your plans for her. I also pray that as I plan our family celebrations for this year, that I do so without the worry and angst of folks not coming, and that I rejoice with those that do. I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.
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