Buckets of Joy

Hello!! Nicole here 😃

I had the opportunity to go to the beach for a few days with my family several weeks ago. It was an amazing experience. I was able to relax and refresh, even with the girls. Normally I'm more focused on watching the girls and making sure they don't do anything they shouldn't or keep them out of things. Then I don't get to truly relax. But with this trip, I was determined to relax and enjoy every moment of my time at the beach. And I did!! There is just something about the beach that just makes you want to relax. Even when the girls were a bit fussy due to little sleep, I was able to relax. I said to myself, "You can't get frustrated because you're at the beach!!" Again...there is just something about the beach!! 

The second that we were there, it was so nice outside. The sun was shining and I got to see dolphins swimming down the coastline. Those that know me, know how much I LOVE dolphins. So, it really was a blessing to experience that. 

Later that day, I got the girls ready and headed to the beach. They were all excited and couldn't wait. They grabbed the buckets that we have bought the day before and practically ran to the beach. As I was watching them have so much fun splashing in the water and digging in the sand, I was so filled with JOY. I noticed that Hadassah was running back at forth from the sand to the water. She was scooping up water and running to the sand and dumping her bucket. It was like she was trying to empty the ocean one bucket at a time. I laughed to myself at the idea but had a thought.

That is how we go through life sometimes. When we go through hard times and trials, we can feel like we are waist-deep in sorrow. We then try to scoop ourselves out of it, one bucket at a time. Only to be met with more "water" than we can scoop out. But what if we change our perspective. What if we fill our buckets with JOY instead of sorrow? What if we look at the JOY that is surrounding us, instead of the trail that tries to overtake us? 

That's easier said than done Nicole.

Yes, that is true. But if we focus more on the JOY that is all around us, then our trials don't seem so bad. Paul said to count it ALL joy. When we go through trials and tribulations, in the end, it brings so much more than we could have ever expected. The peace, the true joy, and the strength of God are all around us in those moments. We also get to experience God using that trial to help someone else through their trial or to help bring someone to salvation. Now, isn't that worth it all? 

So, when we are going through that trial, look for the JOY all around out. Reach out to someone, go to the beach, spend time with God, and spend time with just yourself to just relax.