Down in my heart...

WHERE?

That's right, I've got the joy, joy, joy, JOY! Between sleeping under the stars, reading, and taking long walks during my summer in Morocco, I was afforded ample time to spend with the Lord and reflect on life. It was during this time that I was convicted about my complete lack of joy last year. After spending this blissful, energizing, JOYFUL 2 months abroad, I was concerned that I would return to the States, hate my job and life and have a horrible attitude about it.

I think it was on the long plane ride home from Morocco that I started praying for the Lord to increase my joy and memorized Scripture about joy. I don't know why I was surprised when He answered so soon. It seemed almost immediately that I had extravagant joy for even the most mundane tasks, whether it was teaching and disciplining children, writing papers, or doing laundry. Sure, I wanted to be somewhere else doing something else but I was learning to squeeze every ounce of joy out of each moment. There is so much to enJOY, to experience, and for which to exalt Him. As I have worked to "consider it all joy", and "be joyful always", joy has become more of a way of life. I am making a habit out of seeking the positive and praiseworthy, refusing to dwell on the negative or let it defeat me. As a result, my spunk and zest for life seems mostly to have returned with a vengeance!

Thus, I have made an executive decision to start praying for a gentle and quiet spirit. As I pray, I am trusting that the Lord Almighty who can move mountains, heal the blind, and raise the dead can birth this miracle in me!! :)