I write this as I sit on a beautiful patio overlooking palm trees & green grass & sparkling pool water. The sun is shining & the skies are blue. It feels like a little piece heaven on Earth.
It’s mornings like these where I feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude for just how beautiful this world is; just how beautiful simple moments like sitting with a cup of coffee and a laptop–typing away– can be.
Joy is defined by Merriam Webster as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness”. But I think the definition goes so much further than that. Happiness is fleeting; it’s something that can come and go quick. A lunch date with my momma can make me feel happy; a bad test grade can make me feel unhappy. A sweet text from a friend can make me feel happy; finding out that someone said something hurtful about me can make me feel unhappy. Society tells us that happiness should be our greatest goal and aspiration in life, but I would counter this with a question: What happens when life goes wrong & the happiness flees for a bit? What else is there?
Enter: joy. Joy is so much greater than anything happiness could ever provide me; so much greater than anything happiness could ever provide US. And don’t get me wrong, I LOVE happy moments! I search them out daily, looking to incorporate happy things into my daily schedule & to provide my friends and family with some bits of happiness in their life.
But the amazing thing about joy is that I get to CHOOSE it. I get to CHOOSE to be joyful. Joy comes from gratitude & an appreciation for all of the incredible blessings and opportunities provided to me daily, despite whether I am having a moment of happiness. Even on the days when I am feeling a bit down or having a hard time, my joy sustains throughout.
And, oh, how wonderful it is to know that I can choose to be joyful. I can choose to be intentional about writing out the reasons I am grateful. I can choose to focus my attention on all the ways God has blessed me & rest in the fact that there is a plan for my life that is so much bigger & better than anything I could ever dream up.
I can choose to choose j o y. YOU can choose to choose j o y. And if you’re anything like me–and want to find something that sustains you in both the happy & unhappy moments life throws our way– I encourage you to choose this path.
Choose the path of joy, sweet friend, and I promise, you will not be disappointed.
xo
Always,
Elle
