Finding Your Joy

The branches of the maple outside my office window are still bare. The calendar says spring, but here in northern Illinois, the wind is still chilly most days. But this week, we changed our clocks and the days seemed suddenly much longer. The grass is getting slightly greener, thanks to rain one day, sun the next. The only blooms are my crocuses, which are so hardy they survive late spring snows if they come. What a joyful flower—it blooms in spite of difficulty.

My life feels like the weather these days—sometimes warm and sunny, other times stormy and cold. I tend to go from bright to bleak and back again quite quickly these days.

Earlier this week, I felt guilty, discouraged, misunderstood, and fearful. An argument with my husband, a hard conversation with a friend, far too many work projects with looming deadlines on my desk—I was overwhelmed. But a day or two later, I was hopeful and happy. My husband was patient and understanding, a friend was so encouraging, a project I'd been laboring over finally came together. And from there, things got even brighter:

Yesterday, the UPS man delivered the first copy of my new book, Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life. Delighted, I showed it to the kids, and Melanie, 12, held the book up to her face and inhaled deeply through her nose. “It smells so good, Mom. It smells like Barnes and Noble!”

I love that my daughter shares my love of all things literary, including the smell of a new book. I felt happy about the book, and about her delight. Beyond that, I felt grateful, because there is something new that’s blooming in my life: I am learning how to stop and celebrate the good things. There have been seasons in my life when I’ve downplayed my achievements, or failed to fully enjoy the moment. But I am learning to savor my blessings, to celebrate my accomplishments, to find joy by simply paying attention.

This spring, I am trying to focus on the crocuses of life, not the bare branches. Both are there, but which one will I give most attention to? I am trying to listen to the voice of love, of joy.

Paging through my book, I read words I wrote several months ago (the publishing process takes a while). They’re lessons I’m still in the process of learning:

“Sometimes we get lonely or scared or feel like our life does not matter very much, that we’re not important. Or life feels futile and pointless, at least at the moment. ... But the voice of love—that is, God’s voice—says: ‘Just breathe, grace is sufficient, and you can hold on to that; you are the beloved and you really do matter, and I’ve got something important for you to do.’ ...

 "The voice of doubt and fear would tell me, don’t bother. You can’t make a difference so why even try? The voice of fear whispers that there is not enough—certainly not enough money or stuff, but on a deeper level it also claims that there is not enough love. And that the world is so dark and such a mess that any effort to let the light shine through is just futile. There just is not enough love or joy or purpose.

 “The voice of love, on the other hand, says there is plenty. Come to the table where God is serving a feast. God is love and power and joy, and God is limitless. So the power and creativity and love and joy is limitless; and in fact, by listening to God’s voice of love, we receive, and in so doing we create. We spread this love and power and joy by simply receiving it and realizing that there’s enough to share." (Kent, Keri Wyatt. Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 2006.)

My own words were an encouragement to me, as I try to live them out. I hope they will encourage you as well. As the days grow longer and warmer, I hope you will focus on the crocuses, look for joy.

Fear, sadness, and disappointment are all a part of life, and we can learn a lot from those struggles. But they are not the whole story of our lives. Winter happens, but spring comes. Sometimes, we must choose to listen to God’s promise of hope, his voice of love. In so doing, we will find our joy. It’s like a springtime for your soul.


Until next time!

Keri Wyatt Kent

 How to Say No...and Live to Tell About It Building the Christian Family You Never Had
By Mary Byers

One of the things that can steal our joy is being too busy doing things that we really don’t want to do, according to Mary Byers’ new book. She encourages readers to look at why they have trouble saying no, and begin to say it, “rather than letting a sense of obligation dictate your life.”

This is a very practical book with extremely short, to the point chapters—great for people who are too busy to read. Each chapter ends with a “taking action” step and “discovery questions” to help you apply the lessons of each chapter, which cover important topics like passion, simplicity, focus, guilt, fatigue.

For those who have trouble saying that little word that brings back sanity and joy in your life: “no,” this book will be a life-saver. But the idea is not necessarily to say no to everything, but to determine your passion, your focus and what brings you joy, and say yes to that!

She writes, “When you apply focus to your passion and priorities, you’ll not only be more effective, but you’ll find contentment and inner joy as well.”

This is a practical book that’s easy to read, but really pushes you to apply what you learn. if you have trouble saying no, say yes to picking up a copy of this book and reading it! Learn more about Mary and her ministry at www.thenoqueen.com

 

“Joy is God’s basic character. Joy is his eternal destiny. God is the happiest being in the universe... As products of God’s creation, creatures made in his image, we are to reflect God’s fierce joy in life.”

John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 1997)

Here’s a question to ponder, to pray over, to journal about, to help you connect more deeply with God:

What brings you joy? What steals your joy? What, specifically, could you do in order to “reflect God’s fierce joy in life”? What could you say no to, in order to say yes to something you love? (Kent, Keri Wyatt. Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 2006. )

Journal about these questions, but don’t stop there. Plan an hour this week where you do something that brings you great joy—perhaps getting out to enjoy the spring weather, reading a great book or spending time with someone who loves and encourages you. Follow through, actually do what ever it is that you plan. Then spend some time thanking God for the gift of that experience, and for the joy it brought you.

 

 Connecting with Keri in Person!

Keri will be leading a women’s retreat for Twin Lakes Church of Aptos, CA, on April 28-30 at Koinonia Conference Center in Watsonville, CA. For info, contact the church.

Seeds Bookstore at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois will hold a reception and book signing the first weekend in May. Come by to enjoy some free refreshments and meet Keri and have her sign a copy of her new book, Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life. The signing will be held before and after services (which are at 5:15 p.m. Saturday May 6, and at 9 and 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, May 7).

 Connecting with Keri on the Web

Keri is doing a virtual book tour this month. Here are blogs, websites and radio stations featuring interviews with Keri:

Also, check out Keri's new column of spiritual encouragement for anyone who ministers to children by clicking here. The column, called For Your Soul, will be updated once a month.


 

April 18, 2006

Connecting with
Keri Wyatt Kent

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"LISTEN": Keri's new book!

Keri Wyatt Kent's newest book is titled Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life.

"Breathe"

In Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life, Keri looks at how the hurried pace of our lives affects us spiritually.

Connect with Keri in Person

click here to see my speaking schedule

 
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© 2006 - All Rights Reserved - Keri Wyatt Kent