Hey there! So glad you could join me…pull up a chair and a mug. I thought maybe we could get to know each other a bit and see if we might joy-journey together. My name is Elizabeth, and my middle name is Joy.
I love examining the meanings of names, and mine are:
Elizabeth – consecrated to God, set apart for God.
Joy – well… joy. 🙂
Run those together and you could say my parents chose to set me apart for God’s joy. Or you could see that the fullness of God is joy, and that God is abundant in joy.
(Thank you Mom and Dad! XO)
But here is the catch: I’ve struggled with melancholy much of my life, finding myself reticent to experience strong emotions, unexplainably aloof, and sometimes envious of the abundance of joy that is apparent in others. I believe there is more for me than this.
So I’ve made the decision to take the journey towards joy. I’m claiming my name as a life purpose, and I’m embracing a direction forward towards a life of joy so full it overflows. And I want to let it loose – I want to share this journey with you. I don’t think I’m alone in my desire to live with greater joy.
It will be no secret that I live a life of faith in Jesus Christ. If you do too – awesome. If you don’t – also awesome. All are welcome on this trek, but I want you to expect that Jesus will also be joining us.
I don’t exactly have a map for this journey, so I’ll need you to be brave and perhaps a little crazy if you want to come along. I’ll be storying, linking, interviewing, praying, photographing, singing, and in general just looking for joy in all of the small and big stuff of life. I know it’s there, and I want it. I want it for you too, so I hope you choose to come along.