Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

Joy goes beyond circumstances

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I shared this on Instagram last night and then 40 minutes later Kate Motaung announced this week’s Five Minute Friday prompt was JOY.

So I knew I needed to write. Five minutes, just write. On your mark, get set, go …

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The kids and I were looking forward to a Wednesday afternoon and evening at home. I happily had my pajamas on by 2:30 p.m.

And then my 14-month-old Rachel face planted into the corner of a piece of furniture. I heard the cry from around the corner and knew she was hurt. I saw blood, realized she knocked a tooth loose, and hurt her gums.

I didn’t know what to do so I called our pediatrician and ended up going to see my sweet relative who works there. Then she called her husband who is a dentist.

They took care of us, even those the prognosis was wait and see if the tooth tightens back up. I’m not good at waiting.

Rachel was restless that night. I’m sure her mouth was sore. We also went cold turkey on the bedtime bottle because I worried the bottle was further loosen the tooth.

But she woke up smiling.

I was more overwhelmed than she was. I followed her around yesterday, hoping and wishing and praying she didn’t fall on her face again. Y’all, that alone was stressful. I’m not the mom who usually worries about her kids hurting themselves. But Thursday the fear and anxiousness overwhelmed me.

And then I felt guilty for worrying about something whose worse-case scenario isn’t nearly as bad as circumstances other families face. It took me most of the day to shake all the emotions.

When Rachel decided to use two presents as a chair while I was cooking dinner, I stopped and snapped pictures because I wanted to capture her joy. I wanted the joy she is to trump all my temporary emotions. Joy lasts.

Her joy radiates regardless of the circumstances and continually reminds me that God is for us.

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I’m linking up with Kate Motaung for Five Minute Friday. You’re welcome to join us. Set a timer for five minutes and just write. Then link up with this fun crew. 

Daring to be happy

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“The Happiness Dare” by Jennifer Dukes Lee came into my life when our family was on the verge of moving earlier this summer. I know from chatting with her this book came out of her own real-life experiences, but some of the chapters seems written for me! God has had me in a season of learning how to choose joy, so this daring for happiness comes at a great time in my life.

Jennifer talks about how we all have a happiness style. She has an assessment in the book that clearly shows I’m a Doer and Relater. I took the assessment less than a week after my family moved into our new house that sits on 33 acres. So, clearly, we were settling in. And by settling in, I mean I wanted everything to be unpacked and put away and then I wanted my friends to come over. Two days in a row my best friend showed up and helped me put things away. Talk about happy!

The other styles are Experiencer, Giver and Thinker. Of course, like personalities, we often can find pieces of all the styles in our lives. {Take the happiness assessment here!}

“Imagine a world where our happy lives illustrated an attractive gospel. The Good News is a heritage of happiness. When we maximize our happiness, other people notice. They want what we have. Authentic happiness can change our world. But first it has to change us.”

{Jennifer Dukes Lee in “The Happiness Dare”}

Like #choosingJOY, #thehappinessdare is good for my soul. It reminds me that productivity is fine and even makes me happy, but working harder isn’t the answer to finding happiness & joy. Even when there are boxes to unpack, sometimes summer afternoons need to be spent at the pool. Even when there are chores looking me in the face, I need to play with my kids or lunch with a friend.

I want to carry that dare into the new school year with my kids and into my 15th year of marriage with my husband and into my baby girl’s second year of life. I want to find happiness when I run errands and do chores and fulfill commitments and socialize with friends and cross paths with strangers. And by “find happiness,” I mean I want to draw near to God, choose gratefulness, and position myself to see happy.

That’s what Jennifer’s book encourages readers to do. Her words don’t discount grief and hard days, but they do celebrate the details that remind us God is for us and enjoying life is part of the journey.

“Happiness is not the great opposite of holiness. Happiness is at the heart of Jesus, who gladdens weddings. Does he not gladden lives today? Does he not gladden cookouts and flash mobs and moments of scientific discovery? Does he not also gladden birthing rooms and seaside retreats and majestic cathedrals where composes performed some of the greatest musical works of our time? Will he not also gladden us? I believe he will. Jesus doesn’t gladden us at the expense of holiness. He gladdens us because of holiness.”

{Jennifer Dukes Lee in “The Happiness Dare”}

ABOUT THE BOOK :: “The Happiness Dare: Pursuing Your Heart’s Deepest, Holiest, and Most Vulnerable Desire” was born out of Jennifer Dukes Lee’s quest to find out whether our happiness matters to God and, if so, how to pursue it in a way that pleases him. Learn more online or order the book from Amazon (or other booksellers).

This 304-page book is published by Tyndale (Aug. 2, 2016).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :: Jennifer Dukes Lee is a journalist at heart. She used to cover crime, politics, and natural disasters as a news reporter for several Midwestern metropolitan daily newspapers. Now, she uses her reporting skills to chase after the biggest story ever: the redemptive story of Christ. (That’s front-page news.) “The Happiness Dare” is her second book. She published “Love Idol” in 2014. She and her husband are raising crops, pigs, a herd of cats, and two humans on the Lee family farm in Iowa.

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 I’m part of “The Happiness Dare” launch team, so I did receive a free PDF copy of this book, but the recommendation comes all on my own. Jennifer Dukes Lee spoke deeply into my life with “Love Idol,” and her new book offers the same kind of life-changing encouragement. 

Joy in freedom

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I’m excited to introduce you to another blogging friend of mine. It’s people like Tiffany Parry who make me love the internet. Her words encourage well and point to truth. Her post today is more of that, just as we’re settling into summer, officially this week! 

Tiffany and I dream of sharing stories around a real-life table, but until then I’m grateful to call her my friend across the miles. Please welcome her to my blog for #ThreeWordWednesday. 

I’m a rule-follower, the quintessential say-what-I-do, do-what-I-say girl. I thrive on order, tidy boundaries, and well-laid plans.

In the practicalities of day to day life, my Type-A personality and patterns suit me just fine. The problem with all my orderly rules is that we live in an unorderly world. “Things” don’t always go my way – our way.

Organization is one thing, but under the influence of pressure, the craving for order turns into a pension for control. And of this I am absolutely certain: we don’t own control.

God doesn’t want us to grip life with both hands, but instead surrender it into His.

“In His hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of all mankind.”

Christ gave His life and breath to purchase exclusive rights to ours. In exchange for our faith, our smallest seeds of belief, Jesus offers us rich freedom and fullness of joy. It hardly seems a fair exchange, does it? But it’s what makes our freedom such a sweet gift.

Freedom and joy go hand in hand. {Tweet that.}

Joy is a byproduct of a heart at peace with God’s plan. Even if our circumstances aren’t precisely peaceful, we can know the joy that Christ affords us through a life lived with open hands willing to receive His plans over our own.

Can I tell you a secret? This isn’t easy for me.

Can I tell you another secret? God’s plans for us are always good.

Maybe both are entirely obvious to you. But, after living nearly half my life as a Christian, I’m still learning not to allow my control freakiness to wrestle away my freedom and steal my joy. My heart longs to know peace and my hands crave that open position, but I often watch my joy plummet as I fall prey to my flesh. If you can relate, I have good news:

Our level of joy isn’t an indication of God’s goodness – He is always good. {Tweet that.}

If that isn’t enough (PS. He is always enough), I have more good news: Summer is the ideal season to perfect your joy and reclaim your freedom.

Days are longer, weather is warmer, and sweet tea abounds. There are sandy beaches and grassy fields longing for your footsteps, books waiting to be cracked open, and beautiful sunsets hand painted by a God who delights in you experiencing the abundance of life.

Here are a few ways to choose joy in freedom this summer … and every day after:

1. Give up ought-to.

Control can wrangle freedom with our self-imposed “ought-to” and “must-do” rules. Instead let’s live intentionally. Rather than make choices based on people-pleasing, perfection, approval, or random bouts of guilt, choose what pleases God. Pursue what is honorable in His sight and that which evokes fullness of joy and freedom in your heart.

2. Answer wisely.

This is tied closely to #1, but takes it one step further. We have permission to say “no.” Just because we are able to do something, doesn’t mean we should or have to. Over commitment is a form of control that robs us of free time and energy. Without those precious resources, our joy will quickly dwindle.

3. Insert grace.

If you’re anything like me, you’re bound to wrestle for control once more. Grace means your freedom does not run dry and second chances will come at the break of day. Open those hands and receive grace, then freely give it to those around you. Joy is catching, didn’t you know?

4. Savor.

This is the fruit of #1 thru #3. You’ve created the foundation for freedom, now enjoy it. This broad space is truly a gift. Have fun, bust through those tidy boundaries, set you margins on wide and savor the goodness of God. His wonder is all around you – watch for it and let freedom ring.

Friends, here’s to a joyful summer filled with the sweetness of freedom!

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Tiffany is a wife and mom who dwells in the sunshine (and smog) of Southern California. She’s a lover of words who purposes to use hers to speak God’s truth with grace and authenticity. More than that, she longs to provide a safe place for others to do the same. You are invited to join her word-by-word journey through the mountains and valleys of faith at her blog, Simply for One, or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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I’ve been opening my blog doors to some friends this month :: Susan Shipe shared about summertime fun and Melody Hester offered advice for navigating new seasons. You can also download The Summer Not-To-Do List I made for you, if you haven’t already. 

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