I Still Choose Joy

I love it when God works in the hearts of friends and family

to remind me of important truths.

Whether in a card, 

a bookmark,

or a book,

over the years I have cherished those reminders.

I find them tucked away in my journal,

my Bible,

or in my night table drawer beside the bed.

This Christmas I received two such very special gifts.

The first is this plaque that now hangs on our wall

between the front entrance and the kitchen.

I walk by it multiple times every single day,

and each time, I am reminded....

'I Choose Joy'!

My good friend had found it on a shopping trip with her daughter in the fall,

and immediately thought of me.

She knows that I have made an intentional choice in my life to choose joy,

but that isn't a once for all times choice.

Five years ago(can that possibly be)
I wrote about how I had chosen the word, joy' for my word for 2011
and that commitment hasn't changed.

I need to choose it over, and over and over again,

regardless of the circumstances I face

the uncertainty of my future

or the pain I am in.

I am so thankful for my friend,

for her sensitivity to the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit

who knew that in the days ahead I would need to be reminded...

Thankful for a tangible reminder 

that I see over and over and over again,

that regardless of what my days hold,

or what 2017 looks like,

'I Choose Joy'!