Feature Post- One Sweet Day

I have loved getting to know Crystal from One Sweet Day over the past few months.
She's so sweet and has the most encouraging post for you guys today!
Make sure to head over to her blog to read more of her posts!
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Hey, I’m Crystal and I blog at One Sweet Day. I’m a wife to my most amazing, fun-loving, crazy (in a good wayJ) husband; mama to an 18-month-old spunky little girl, as well as a sweet-as-can-be 7-week-old baby girl.  We are a happy family and hope to keep on growing…my husband, Brad, would like 11 (makes for an offensive, defensive or special teams football line-up he explained to me once)—he’s been vetoedJ But by God’s grace, we hope to have a couple more over the next few years. I am a blessed woman, undeserving of all I have, but I serve a most gracious and merciful God, Jesus Christ. (You can check out my testimony on my blog if you’re interested). Here are a few pics of my family…

Since I get to write over here at Ashley’s blog during the first week of the new year, I thought I would share something that’s really been on my heart, something that I want to work on this year (I will refrain from calling it a ‘New Year’s Resolution’, as that dooms me to failure approximately 100% of the time.) In fact, to say that it’s something I want to work on is wrong…it’s something I want to consistently pray for, because only God can do a work like this in my heart. Here it is: What I want in my life this year and for the rest of my life is to be joyful always. As in 1 Thess. 5:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I envy people who are joyful always. It’s something that, if I’m totally honest, I’m just not! I’m a generally happy person, however, I let unfavorable circumstances drag me into a funk, and then I take it out on my lovely husband (who takes it with much patience, and manages to still love me!) Unfavorable circumstances for me include the weather being miserable, a baby who has cried the majority of the day, being busy too many nights in a row and not getting quality time with my hubby, or lack of sleep several nights running. They might look completely different for you, but we all have things that can send us into the blues, should we let our emotions rule—and dare I say, it’s easy for us women to let emotions get the best of us!

By the way, I’m not talking about having a big fake smile on your face 24/7, I’m talking about deep joy…the kind the Bible is talking about when it refers to ‘sorrowful, yet always rejoicing’.

As the second part of the verse above says, “pray continually…” All to often, I start each day with prayer but as the day unfolds into busyness, I let my focus stray from God. I want to come to God in prayer in every circumstance…not just asking, but thanking and praising him, both for the good and for what he’s teaching me through the bad. 

I want to encourage you, as well as myself, that we can have joy even on the worst day. I believe it’s the devil who seeks to steal our joy, so we have to fight back! Pray, meditate on scripture, count your blessings, and in the midst of a hard day, ask the Lord to teach you and grow you through the circumstances, and rejoice that he is doing a work in you to make you more like him!

Last little thing that came to me as I was thinking about all this…I know that when I decide I want to grow in an area of my life, that is when things get tough.  But I can either be willing to settle for mediocrity in that area, or I can fight the battle and come out victorious. I don’t know about you, but I intend to fight for joy this year!

Nehemiah 8:10

“…the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Romans 15:13

 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Proverbs 10:28  

“The hope of the righteous brings joy…”

Happy New Year and hope you visit me at One Sweet Day!

© Crystal