Our family went through some cycles during this quarantine in the attempt to bring joy into our home. It began with things like slime. As I started to tire out and get less creative, we went straight to baking. The sweet treat seemed like hope. When spring came, we transitioned to Vitamin D. How can we make a bike ride last all day? In the middle, I started letting my kids make fires. Yes, I know, “Don’t play with fire,” but this is quarantine, and my kids can use up four hours burning different things, and desperate times call for desperate measures. Let it burn, people. “Yep, that Amazon box…see how it will burn.”
You may not have hit this point, but today as the kids opened up the board game closet, I almost cringed. I didn’t think I could play another board game. UNO? Okay, I can play UNO…choosing again to channel the joy.
There has been a lot of finding it in this season. Finding the joy. I know my joy comes from the Lord, but where is it in this house?
Pleading with God to pour more joy into our home makes a difference. We can ask Him for that moment-by-moment, and as we ask and watch, we will see Him come through.
Maybe that is why the kids can build fires safely for hours at a time. I will stand back, watch, and be grateful.
It also makes a difference to know our effort doesn’t go unseen. God sees what we have been doing. How hard we have been trying. He sees when we have messed up and graciously scoops us up and says, “Let’s try that again.” As we try to keep all of the things together and channel the joy, I believe God is proud of us. I believe that He watches our homes and knows we are tired. He knows we aren’t sure we can do one more day, and He is proud of us for sticking with it.
We can approach God with all of the feelings. “God, I know some people have it worse. God, today is still hard for me.” God sees us. He meets us, and when we bring our actual selves honestly to Him, He will meet us again.
Let God know you, and as you do, you will begin to know Him. He will meet you in your messy. He will meet you in your joy, and He will meet you in your pain. He will meet you even in your annoyance over board games. He will give you everything you need as you trust Him. I can’t do one more day of this…but He can, and I will choose to let Him.
HLLF,
