Equip me to be joyful : 1,000 Gifts
When I got married, the ladies in my church gave me a cookbook filled with recipes from each one of them. Each lady also contributed a little tidbit of marriage advice.
This morning I was looking for a recipe and I came across this:
“My advice to you as a new wife is to cultivate joy in your home from the beginning… Your joy will bring your husband refreshment and your home will be a refuge to him and your future children. Pray that God will equip you to be joyful at all times (stressful, hormonal, pregnancies, etc.). The joy of the Lord will be your strength!”
How poorly I have followed this advice lately. It’s been a very stressful season, and A.J. receives the brunt of my stress. He is so patient. He gently reminded me recently of the need to cultivate gratitude in all circumstances. Yet again, a reminder that jotting down a list of “thankfuls” on Mondays means nothing if I’m not joyful throughout the week.
God is reminding me of how I need to exhibit the fruit of JOY in my life… by the power of the Spirit.
Oh God, equip me to be joyful at all times… May Your joy be my strength…
Photo by yugoQ
325. My parents’ two-part birthday gift to me, The Joy of Cooking,
326. and one of Lydia Brownback’s new devotionals, Joy: A Godly Woman’s Adornment. (See? I am being reminded.)
327. New clothes from my sisters! They got me a dress with leggings and two cute sweaters. Yay for generous sisters with great fashion sense!
328. Gifts and cards from my relatives.
329. An ice cream cake from A.J.
330. Chocolate cookies and Twizzlers from my mom.
331. Pumpkin spice muffins.
332. A delicious dinner and fellowship with friends last night.
333. A friend who chooses to serve on her birthday instead of being served.
334. People who encourage me when I complain instead of criticizing me.
335. Uplifting conversations with spiritually-minded friends.
336. A pumpkin spice latte! Finally.
337. November warmth and sunshine.
338. The book of Ephesians. So powerful I could linger in the first chapter for months. Or years.
339. My husband. He should really be on the list every week.
340. A good night’s sleep last night. I may never take sleep for granted again.
Thank you, Danielle! I’ve been loving your Multitude Monday posts.
I love your thankful posts. 
I should do something like this. It seems like in the seasons of life different things (like joy, or thankfulness, or praise) are tougher than others… but one thing I’ve noticed for myself anyway, is when something bad is going on, like not feeling well for example, is when I actively seek those things, as opposed to when life is good and great, it’s easy to not think about it or care, because things are easy… if that makes sense. That makes it easy to see God’s purpose in the trials he allows in our life… and commit to always having that awareness and appreciation of His grace and blessings, whether things are good, or bad. Hope you have a joyful day!
It would be great if you’d join the Gratitude Community! Do you read A Holy Experience? So much good food for thought there.
I do know what you mean about trials getting our attention… it’s easy to think, “I can do this on my own” and just sort of “coast” when life is going well, but that’s an incredibly dangerous mentality. A.J. and I were just talking about how trials make you see the need you always have for God, and how desperate you should always be for Him.
Thanks for sharing!
Mmmm…I always like your thankful lists and posts, because they really cause me to think about thankfulness in a different way, and it usually convicts me in some way about how I’m focusing on those gifts in the wrong way. Thank you so much for your honestly when you write; a lot of blog authors write about what they want to stop doing or start doing, but they don’t always focus on what is going on RIGHT NOW in their lives and how they feel God stretching them. Have a beautiful week, Anna!
Thank you for the encouragement!!! I truly appreciate the honesty of your blog as well… and I love your thankfuls too.
Hmm, that is good advice . . . I could work on that more myself.
Great reminder of how much I have, we all have, to be thankful for! The Joy of Cooking is such a good basic cookbook…everything I bake comes from it:) Glad you got some sleep. That is definitely something to be thankful for! And happy belated birthday!
Thank you very much for commenting on my post, Anna!
I’ve enjoyed my quick perusal of your blog and I’m looking forward to future posts. What a treasure that cookbook must be!
Blessings,
E
I am always inspired when I read a blog like yours. I want to have that joy NOW; even as a single gal!
[...] Parmesan baked chicken (from my church cookbook), sweet potatoes, green [...]
A great thankful Monday post. Happy birthday!