April 23, 2021

Joy Comes With the Morning by Joylene M Bailey




 
I was only a little late for our pre-service choir rehearsal that morning, but our director was already finishing his short devotional as I rushed through the green room to get to the choir loft. As I walked through the stage door onto the platform, Blaine concluded his final scripture reading:
Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. - Ps. 30:5 

All eyes turned to me, and I took my bow amid laughter and chuckles.

Moments of perfect timing, like that one, don't happen very often in anyone's life, but when they do, the shared delight carries on with each retelling, like the ripple effect of a pebble dropped in a pool.



Joy is the serious business of heaven.
- C.S. Lewis -


I suppose that because Joy is part of my name (my full first name is Joylene - pronounced Joy-lynn), I'm consciously and unconsciously on the lookout for joy.

It's why I keep the window open in my study, so I can hear the birds chortling as they carry out their own ordinary day. 

It's why I have that special drinking glass that shimmers blue in some lights and purple in others. Even a glass of water tastes better when taken from that cup.

It's why I buy paper napkins in all different colours and patterns. I love napkins! They're perfect paper squares of glee.



Find ecstasy in life:
the mere sense of living is joy enough.
- Emily Dickinson -


Life can be full of grief and hardship, but I believe joy is there if you look for it. It's the looking for it, however, that I forget to do sometimes. I get stuck in keeping my eyes fixed on my feet and the rough road ahead instead of looking up and noticing there's more to life than concrete and cracks in the sidewalk.   



If you carry joy in your heart, 
you can heal any moment.
- Carlos Santana -


The various mugs and cushions around my house marked with the word joy are there to remind me to choose joy. Because it is a choice. A choice to raise my eyes from the crack in the sidewalk to the clarity of the sky; to put my trust in the Joy-Maker. After all, isn't joy actually looking for God at work - even in the tough times?



Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy
and be glad all our days.
- Psalm 90:14 -


Photo Credits: all photos from Pixabay
1. Jill Wellington
2. Larisa Koshkina
3. Jill Wellington
4. ThreeMilesPerHour
5. Rudy and Peter Skitterians






Joy lives in Edmonton with the Cowboy and soon-to-be-married Babe. She writes about her name here on her blog, Scraps of Joy.

   

17 comments:

  1. I felt the joy as I read your post. 'Joy is the serious business of heaven', one of my absolute favourite quotations, and you are certainly about the business of living up to your name, dear Joy.

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    1. Thank you Brenda. I love that quote too ... sometimes joy IS serious business. :)

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  2. Such a "Joy"-full read! You obviously and deliberately look for joy and make joy in your life, something we could all emulate, even if our name isn't Joy. Thanks for the uplifting post!

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    1. And thank YOU for the encouraging comment, Valerie. :)

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  3. This is so lovely! As I was also looking at the comments it came to mind that your writing and your blog are very similar to Brenda Leyland's in that you focus on beauty around you...

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    1. Wow, that is a huge compliment, Tracy. I LOVE Brenda's writing. Thank you so much.

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  4. May we all bring joy to others. As for me, my cat, Athena, brings me joy. And there is beauty if we just stop to observe it.

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    1. Pets definitely bring us joy and usually, they don't ask for much in return. I love that your cat's name is Athena. :)

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  5. This post is filled with Joy and beauty. Thank-you for that. And I agree that it our choice to see those things of joy and beauty (and at times difficult to do) ... you also have great pictures and quotes! I love the Emily Dickenson one!

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    1. Thank you, Jocelyn. Emily Dickenson ... I have yet to find anything she wrote that I don't like. :)

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  6. Thank you, Joy, for your emphasis on finding joy in life. I wondered how you would approach this topic, knowing that your post last year on how you got your name inspired me to include "Our Names" as a theme this year. And yes, I agree that your writing and blogs are very similar to Brenda L's. What a joy to read both blogs!!

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    1. What an honour to even be named in the same general area as Brenda L. Thank you, Sandi. :)

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  7. Wonderful! You mention so many things that you enjoy and I say to myself, "Yes, THAT is Joy!" How blessed I am to have such a joy-filled friend. God is good.

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    1. And I am equally blessed to call you friend, Connie. Indeed, God is good. :)

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  8. Hi Joy! I always come away happy, no, joyful when I read your posts. Your writing reminds me of the warmth of a sunny day after rain has stopped. Keep writing, my dear friend. Your word are needed.

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  9. What wonderful encouragement! Thank you Alan. :)

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  10. Such an uplifting read, Joy. I share your love of napkins. They are ‘perfect paper squares of glee’. They are an indulgence I allow myself for that very reason. Thanks so much for bringing sunshine to my day.

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