Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
2018 was filled with joyous moments: The boys enjoyed a man-date at Monster Jam. Eric and I celebrated our 15th anniversary from the summer prior with our first kid-free vacation since becoming parents on a “Date” Caribbean cruise while Asher and Avery were able to stay home for the week delighting in the winter snow with Grammy and Gramps. We cheered on Asher as he learned to rock climb at the YMCA. Asher and I savored some one-on-one mother-son time with dinner followed up by his school Sweetheart’s Dance. We beamed with Asher after he lost his first tooth. We relished in the holidays of the year as a family. We adventured with dear friends. We partied together as Eric and I each turned 38, Asher turned 6, Avery turned 4 and our Emma pup turned 10! We danced the night away after Eric’s brother Rob married his love Negin. We welcomed a new member of the Migrin family with the arrival of our nephew Walter Sturza. We praised God as we learned that we too would be welcoming a new (& final) member of our immediate family come January! We relaxed and rejuvenated with one another during a summer Michigan vacation. We excitedly sent Asher off to his first day of first grade. We feasted with family and friends as we celebrated Mom on her retirement. Finally, we relished in countless other precious moments of everyday life and times spent with our extended families and friends.
Even with an abundance of happy occasions though, there were still several moments of discouragement, stress, sickness (TOO MUCH sickness), sadness and frustration to get us down. We prayed for dear friends struggling with cancer, Eric’s mom undergoing heart surgery, Eric’s grandma battling infections and more. We breathed heavy through chaotic times at work and exhausted children. We argued over unimportant issues and stressed over others. Through it all though, the word JOY was/is continually on my mind and with it the reminder to Choose Joy. But what is joy? The dictionaries tend to define it as simply an emotion, a basic synonym of happiness. However, as a Christian and someone who isn’t exactly a “cup half full” personality I know that Joy runs much deeper than that. Joy is from the Lord. The question is, do I (or you) have it and/or choose to accept the blessed gift of joy that God gives us?
For those of you that know me well, you know that I don’t always see the positive side of things, but raising kids has especially prompted my desire to change. I often see myself in our boys as they struggle to be happy in many situations and I know that Eric and I need to be the example for them of seeking, finding and choosing JOY. I have heard for most of my life that you can be joyous even during unhappy times, but I’ve never sought to truly understand how this works or what it means until now…
Wanting to share JOY with you this Christmas I have recently been doing a little online research and while much of what I’ve read flatlines with the typical dictionary definitions, a Focus on Family article that I found really touched the core of my thoughts as it provided a few key questions to ask ourselves: *What are you worth?: Our world today has lost focus and typically bases one’s worth on their looks, popularity, finances and/or power. However, our worth comes from God. He loves us so much that he sent his SON to earth that very first Christmas to grow, love and teach others and then die on the cross as a sacrifice for OUR SINS. Through that sacrifice, we are worthy because Jesus is worthy. Thus no matter what your “worth” is in secular terms, to God YOU ARE PRICELESS, and with that in mind (no matter the circumstances) how can you not be joyful? *What is important to you?: For me, this question hits hard. While I can verbalize the answer for you, I will be the first to admit that a snapshot of how I spend my time does not fully back this answer up. So much of my time is wasted on frivolous things, but with God being the true source of our joy only those things that draw us closer to HIM will provide JOY to us. *How big is your God?: “Joy comes from knowing God, enjoying what God has done for you and believing that He constantly cares for you.” As long as we put off our own pride, this is fairly easy when times are good. However, when times are not working in our favor we (I) often feel that God has forgotten or turned His back on us. Thus, constantly striving to CHOOSE JOY means seeking first Christ’s Kingdom through everything, even the dark times that life sometimes brings. *Do you want others to catch your joy?: Once we have CHOSEN JOY and are actively living a joyful life, how can we best share it with others?: We demonstrate JOY in our own lives. Rather than obsessing over the frivolities of life (a clean house, material possessions, our looks, etc) we turn our focus on Christ and allow HIS joy to permeate or lives.
So that is my/our goal, to lead a joyous life, from this year to next and we pray that for you as well! May you have a Christmas and New Year filled with Peace, Love and JOY! Merry Christmas from Tracy, Eric, Asher, Avery, Baby M & Emma!
Joy Is a Gift. Anticipated It. Unwrap It. Prayer and Reading the Word will bring Joy. You are God's Child. Knowing He loves you and wants what is best for you brings joy. Use It. Joy is Not Happiness. Joy can be in you at all times; During both the easy and the difficult days. You can share it with others because God is the Provider. Show Joy with a positive attitude, helpfulness and thankfulness. Thank the Giver daily for his Gift of Joy.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Love, The Migrin Family
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