So, 2017 is off to a good start... A week into it my van was totaled (it's okay, I'm safe because God is good)... But seriously, other than that I am really enjoying the way that life has been changing. I finished my application to study abroad in Costa Rica! I met a precious baby girl that loves to snuggle! The semester started, and I really enjoy my professors! More importantly, I have been learning how to find joy in each day.
Philemon 1:7
Most days there are not huge occurrences that induce overwhelming joy, so I have made a point of finding small things to be joyful about. Maybe it is simply an unplanned reunion with a friend on campus, or the release of a new song that I absolutely love ("Helpless" Jesse&Joy). And while all these things make me happy and I allow myself to enjoy them, I know that I cannot depend on these worldly things to bring me the spiritual joy I am seeking. I cannot depend on the approval or work of humans. It will simply result in continual disappointment and unhappiness.
Matthew 6:21
Of course there are always days when, no matter how hard I try, I simply feel dejected and worn down. Some days I really don't want to find the good. But I am realizing that those days are also the days that make me even more excited for the good days to come. To know that my sadness, regardless of how deep it feels, is known by Jesus; to know that one day He will give me an infinite number of little (and big) reasons to be joyful! How can such a thought not make your heart smile?
Revelation 21:4
