Joy Lost and Found

Hello friends! I am still away from my computer. And we're still being quarantined here in Tokyo because my hubby tested positive for the dreaded covid.

Don't worry, his symptoms have been similar to allergies and I am not sick. They have put us in an apartment on the base (free of charge) to quarantine, which is a God thing because we couldn't afford to stay in a hotel room for 14 days after spending thousands to travel home to the U.S.

And here I am writing to you again on a Monday. Maybe Monday should be my new posting schedule? Or maybe I will just post when I can and not make promises I can't keep (like I did at the end of last year).

That way I don't end up so behind that I'm typing one blog after the other, writing multiple blogs in one day - which is what happened in my Blogtober series.

While constantly trying to catch up, my blog became a chore, a 'to do' on my ever growing to do list. Which led to my writer's burnout.

My blog was never meant to be a chore. It was suposed to be something that brought me (and you) joy. And how can I claim to grasp joy when I was feeling anything but while writing?

When I write, I feel and hear God and writing makes me happy. And so, I wanted to write more, but I went too far. There is such thing as too much of a good thing.

You might be asking, "Why are you explaining yourself?" For those of you who write (or honestly do anything for God's kingdom). I think explaining my circumstances is a good way to help others grow and to help myself grow. I'm serious! I have grown so much by just writing out my shortcomings. Some of which are here on my blog.

I think I also feel guilty for leaving you guys hanging. But most of all I feel bad that, for a brief period of time, I lost the joy. It happens and it's okay. We all fall short. But as long as we strive for joy again, we will find it. And sometimes it has to jump up and bite us in the nose.

That's right, joy is always right in front of us. We just have to open our eyes to it. And same thing with God. He is always with us, we just have to listen for Him and keep our eyes peeled.

He gives us miracles every day. He has given you one today. Do you see it? Do you know what it is?

You woke up this morning. You have His breath in your lungs. You are able to see this world around you. You are able to smell your coffee or your breakfast. You are able to hear creation and the people you love. Not everybody has that. Theres more joy in the simple things then in the big things sometimes.

So grasp just a little bit of that joy. Even if you have lost joy like I did. Open your eyes to it. It's there right in front of you. He's there right in front of you.