Thursday, January 23, 2014

Finding the Joy

It's been a little bit since I sat down to write {having a baby will do that to you!}.  But lately I've felt a conviction to once again share my thoughts, so back in the saddle we go!  

One thing a southern lady will always say is that you have to have "your ducks in a row" and I am no exception to that rule. I thrive when I know exactly what needs to be done and when. I have a calendar hanging in our kitchen so that we know exactly when and where we all need to be on any given day. So when things don't go as planned, I sometimes can get a little frazzled.

Case in point - two nights ago after playing and having a generally wonderful evening with kids I discovered the baby felt incredibly warm. He wasn't showing any signs of being sick but was running a very high fever. Concerned quickly evaporated to irritation and frustration. Not at the baby of course, but at whoever could have brought this illness to his {fully acknowledging that it was probably one of us within the family}. And after a visit to the doctor the following morning it was confirmed that he had a case of RSV and would likely need to be out of daycare for the rest of the week.

Now I'm going to be honest here - this just didn't set well. I have a job and things to get done. My dear husband has already spent a number of days off or working at home this year because of all sorts of things, so I knew this baby was all mine. But as I drove to work {with sick baby in tow} this verse popped into my head:




Was I being joyful and praying? Not even in the slightest. Was I thankful that I had to juggle a clingy baby while trying to get some work done as quickly as possible? Nope. Just nope. It was all just a big inconvenience.

However, later in the day, as my sweet baby coughed and sneezed and at times struggled to catch his breathe I realized that while my day {or week in this case} isn't how I thought it would be, I did have so much to be joyful and thankful for. I found joy not in his illness but in the fact that it wasn't serious. I was beyond thankful that my boss and work were understanding enough to allow me to work from home so that I could care for him over the next fews days. And most importantly I was beyond grateful to be trusted by God to be this little guy's mom and to provide him the care he needs while his body heals. 

So yes, in the end I was able to find joy in what most {including me} would consider a sucky situation. It's hard to do though. Finding reasons to give thanks in the least thankful times. But there's a reason, His reason, and you'll see it too, if you take a moment and open your mind and heart to Him.

I've got a couple exciting posts coming up, so I hope you'll stop back by to hear this southern belle's secrets.