JOY
Maybe you have noticed that a lot of people choose a word to focus on each year rather than make resolutions. This year I was not planning to choose a word, but God had other plans. The word joy kind of slipped up on me unannounced. More about that later.
My one word last year was hygge, which is a Danish word that expresses welcoming places of warmth, coziness, comfort, hospitality and more. You can read about it in my post from last year, Simplify Your Life and Seek Hygge.
Towards the end of 2018, I thought I had not done very well with the word. You see, I had in mind clearing my house of all the clutter. Then I wanted to make it look more hospitable and welcoming.
ANOTHER WAY TO SEE HYGGE
While we did get rid of some clutter, there is a lot more to go. So my house is still messier than I would like and certainly doesn’t look very hygge. As I was explaining this to a friend, she helped me see it differently.
She reminded me of how we have welcomed people into our home even amidst the clutter.
By warmly receiving people, being hospitable, providing food, and making them feel at home – we were actually practicing hygge. The more I thought about it, the more I knew she was right.
I still want to continue ridding the house of clutter and make it look welcoming. But I will not let that stop me from making people feel welcome to the best of my ability. Even in the midst of clutter, our home can be a place where people are made to feel comfortable, safe, and peaceful.
JOY AT HOME
A few days before my 2019 word came to me, I had tried a new design in my art journal.
I wrote out the word joy and filled it in with pieces of dried up acrylic paint. The idea came from a prompt that suggested we write a word and fill it in with collage pieces.
Then I began to see the word in other places. I realized that I wanted my life to be a life of joy not depending on circumstances. Rather than complaining about all the mess at home, I would look for things to delight in, for ways to be joyful.
Just as unexpectedly another word kept popping up, and I knew I would have to have two words this year.
The secondary word is home. I know I need to find joy right here in my own home. How will I do all this? I don’t know for sure, but I do know I will try harder to be content and to enjoy what I have.
SOURCE OF JOY
God is the source of my joy, my strength, my creativity – my whole life.
One of the first things is to realize is that my source of joy is not in my circumstances or how I feel but in God. Knowing He loves me and is working in my life gives me freedom to pursue my deepest desires. I don’t have to be afraid of failure or a perfectionist syndrome. Instead, I make plans as I continue working to rid the house of clutter.
When things don’t go according to plan, or if interruptions come, I don’t have to be discouraged. Since my life is in God’s hands, I will trust Him to help me work through each area. And I refuse to let anything or anyone take away my joy.
Psalm 36:7-9 (CSB)
How priceless your faithful love is, God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They are filled from the abundance of your house.
You let them drink from your refreshing stream.
For the wellspring of life is with you.
By means of your light we see light.
GOD’S LOVE ILLUMINES MY SOUL
God’s love pours into my life through scripture, nature, fellowship with friends, music. It illumines my soul, bubbling up into a fountain of joy, spilling out into life as I create through music, art, poetry, hospitality.
God’s love pours in
illumines my soul
becomes a spring
flowing in and out
bubbling with joy
throughout my life
~gsw~
How about you? Have you chosen #oneword for this year? I would love to hear about it!
I’m linking up with: #LMMLinkup, #InspireMeMonday, #TeaAndWord, #TellHisStory, #Let’sHaveCoffee, #HeartEncouragement, #TuneInThursday, #Grace&Truth
Wishing you a blessed and beautiful New Year! <3
Thank you, dear Bette! I wish the same for you! xo
Dear Gayl,
I am so blessed to see the ways that God is blessing you in your home through His comfort, love, and joy! What sweet words He spoke to you. I love your poem and art journal page that express so well how HE is the source of everything for you. You are an encouragement to me, that even when our homes aren’t everything we think they should be, they still can be that source of comfort. In my weakened state, there are still ways that He will allow my home to be a blessing also. Thank you for your inspiration, Dear Friend! Love, hugs, and blessings to you! xoxo
Dear Bettie,
Thank you so much for your continued encouragement. You are a blessing to me more than you know. Yes, there are so many ways our home can be a blessing to others even when we or our house isn’t in the best condition. Much love and many blessings to you, dear sister/poet/friend! xoxo Hugs!
Love this! Joy is my OneWord this year, too!
Yay! It’s a great word, right? 🙂 Blessings to you, Karrilee! xo
I had forgotten that you and I had both chosen hygge as our one word for 2018! Joy is a great follow up word.
Yes, Tara, it was such a good word and I agree that joy is great one to follow it. 🙂 Blessings to you! xo
God is, indeed, the source of joy. What a blessing to know Him and see His hand in all that is around us. On a side note…now I’m disappointed that I threw out the bits of paint from my palettes the other day…great idea.
Yes, it is a blessing to know Him. I have thrown away the dried up pieces on my palette, too. I forgot that another friend told me she was using her dried up pieces to make something like a mosaic and that made me think maybe I could do something with mine. Blessings to you!
I have chosen FAITH as my word for 2019.
Faith is a great word. I pray that God will continue to strengthen my faith as I look for joy in the every day. Blessings to you, Cecelia!
I did not know the word “hygge”. Thank you for sharing with us. I don’t choose just one word. I believe God gives me a new word every day. 🙂
Yes, I had not heard of it until a couple of years ago, but I really like what it conveys. It’s great that you get a new word each day! I think that would be something to look forward to each day. 🙂 Blessings to you, Melissa!
Oh, I love the word you chose this year, Gayle and the collage you made out of dried up acrylic paint. Both are beautiful! Yes, God is the source of our joy. I will look forward to reading about your thoughts on the matter this year. I remember you writing about ‘hygge”, a word I had never heard before.
Thank you so much, Laurie. Yes, I pray that God will help me find more joy and share that with those around me. Thanks for visiting. Blessings to you!
I so love that your word is JOY! Ours is BREAKTHROUGH. I wasn’t too thrilled about it at first but it is growing on me.
Blessings as you discover and share more ways to display and live out your joy.
Blessings.
Breakthrough is a great word, too. Maybe you will see breakthrough in areas you had not thought of this year. 🙂 I hope to increase my joy as I stay close to my Savior throughout the year. Blessings and hugs to you!
Joy and Home: does it even get better than that? Love your enthusiasm to try new artsy things!
Thanks as always for your encouragement, Susan. Blessings to you! xo
Gayl I love it!!
I have intimacy but truly this is what I think I am going to get from it, joy and in my home too–so this grabbed my attention as it resonated so much with where I am at in life. Weary from always chasing the wind, I want to be okay with being, and with Father, and my family right here…no matte how “success” adds up, ya know? Your art always makes me smile and reminds me how much I love doing these things, like when we moved to the house we’re at, and I homeschooled all three kids.
Love you friend!
Yes, I want to be okay with just “being, and with Father, and my family right here…” I’m glad to know my art makes you smile. 🙂 I hope you do find time to make art. 🙂 Blessings to you, dear Meg! xoxo
Love the fireplace, would have to have gas logs though. Can’t deal with smoke smells. That is so true, God is our source of joy.
Yes, fireplaces do seem to make a place cozy. Thanks for visiting, Rebecca, and for your encouragement. Blessings to you!
My library has the hygge book available and I keep meaning to get around to picking it up. You’re encouraging me to take the plunge! Praying your year of Joy will bring many blessings.
I enjoy hygge books. They tend to inspire. 🙂 Hope you do get a chance to read it. Thank you for your prayer. Blessings to you and may you also find joy in unexpected places!
What a great journey to your word this year. It is a joy having you as a friend.
Thank you, Mary. I appreciate you and hope we can get together again before too long. Blessings, love and hugs to you! xo
Joy was my word last year! I pray that you are able to experience the joy of the Lord this year, especially in your home.
Thanks so much, Christine! I will certainly be trying to experience more joy in my home this year. And like I mentioned in the post, if I keep my focus on God, I should find joy even if circumstances aren’t the best. I pray you experience much joy, too. Blessings to you!
Hi Gayl,
Lovely post! Until last year I didn’t use a one word focus but rather aims for the year. This year Grace keeps coming to my attention!
Blessings,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for your encouragement! Grace is a great word. We can all use more grace for ourselves, for others and even in our speech and actions. Blessings to you, dear one!
My word for the year apparently is COURAGE. Courage to follow God into the hard places. Courage to step out of the comfort zones. Courage to share His Word with others. Courage <—– my word for 2019. It keeps popping up everywhere as a reminder that I need this in my life this year. Thanks for posting!
Courage is such a great word. We all need it, don’t we? 🙂 May God grant you courage in fresh ways, Patsy, that you may know it is from Him. Blessings to you! Thanks for visiting.