Charleston pink wall | Lorin Marie Photography

After reading this fantastic interview with the lovely Cheyenne Schultz, I went and made myself a list of things that bring me joy. Especially in the newborn stage of motherhood, it was difficult at times to feel/find/see joy when you are so tired you don't even have energy to finish this sentence... ha :)

It just took a few minutes to clear my head and start thinking, Where/in what do I find joy?

"You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." {Psalm 16:11}
"....for the joy of the Lord is your strength." {Nehemiah 8:10}
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." {Romans 15:13}

So how can I remind myself daily of the joy that is from the Lord? That He has called us to (as a fruit of the spirit) and given to us? Keeping a running list of Joy-Filled Things on a note in my phone is a really easy access to this reminder. I simply typed in whatever came to mind. Some of the things on my list are free, just take a few minutes and can quickly be done. A few others require leaving the house/cost a little. It has been tremendously helpful, in the middle of a difficult day or a long week, to quickly pull up the list and remind myself of something I can do to cultivate more joy in my life. Not that it is found in our circumstances but we can refocus our attitude to find joy right where we are. Not next year, not 5 years from now. But even in this very minute. Here's what I have on my list: