Joy Let Loose

March 18, 2021

A Joy Resource: The Joyful Life Magazine

By

Joy Let Loose is teaming up with The Joyful Life Magazine as an affiliate because we believe wholeheartedly in their mission and love the beauty of their joy resources. When you make a purchase from The Joyful Life, you will not only bless them, but bless our family as well, as we will make a small commission for recommending them. Thank you so much!

A Joy Resource

When we go hiking, we plan ahead for the journey. Same is true when we head out camping, take a road trip for the week, or move into the dorm for the semester. We plan out what resources we will need for a healthy and successful journey. So should it also be when we set out on a JOY journey. It’s important to arm ourselves with the resources we need to be successful.

I like to think of this blog as one of your resources. I try to fill it with encouragement, practical tips, and personal stories in order to fuel your faith that an intentionally joyful life is actually possible. Not only possible, but desirable and God-honoring. I want each and every one of us to live with such steady, strengthening, expressive JOY that we can’t help but let it loose to the people around us.

So I’ve been collecting more resources for you.

One beautiful resource I’ve found is The Joyful Life Magazine. This lovely spot is a beautiful place for women to hang out to be encouraged, to learn, and to build your own collection of helpful resources you can use at home.

The Joyful Life is not just a beautiful magazine—it is the inspiration for a faith-driven movement.

-The Joyful Life Magazine

Their goal as a magazine, and as a company, is to provide you with content, inspiration, resources, and products that will draw you into a closer walk with Christ so that you will be equipped to experience authentic joy in every area of your life!

That sounds a lot like our goal around here!

What joy resource can I find there?

I love that The Joyful Life Magazine has options for kinds of resources. First and foremost, they are a magazine. This beautiful paper magazine has a luxury print quality that complements their standard of excellence in written content, imagery, aesthetic, and design, resulting in a collectible volume of quarterly journals. You can purchase single volumes, or purchase an annual subscription very reasonably. It is simultaneously beautiful, practical, and inspiring, giving great fuel for everyday life.

Not only is there a print magazine, though, but they also have a lovely and helpful Blog. You’ll find a variety of topics on the blog, including:

  • Book reviews
  • Parenting posts
  • Encouragement in spiritual disciplines
  • Character studies
  • Recipes
  • DIY ideas
  • … and a lot more too!

Digital Joy Resources

Yesterday I purchased a new digital resource from The Joyful Life Magazine. It’s a two-week study called Counting It All Joy.

It is a lovely, 81-page PDF download that offers personal story, Scripture reflection, poetry, and the opportunity to respond to the Lord as we consider the book of Philippians.

I’ve only just begun, but I’m very happy with this opportunity to sit with Paul in Philippians for the next two weeks. I love having the option to print it or read it on my device and take it with me wherever I go.

Journals and Print Resources

If you are a reader or like to journal, I think you might fall in love right about now. The Joyful Life Magazine provides gorgeous Bible Studies, books, and journals that are aesthetically pleasing, and rich in content.

On occasion they bundle products together at reduced prices. The one that I have my eye on right now is The Everyday Joy Bundle , volumes 1 & 2 of their Everyday Joy Devotional.

What joy resource are you looking for?

I hope that you find this recommendation helpful! I think the Joyful Life Magazine is a beautiful opportunity to get the “supplies” we need for our joy journey. I’d love for you to surround yourself with everything you need to be successful as you pursue joy. And maybe we have family and friends who we could encourage with a joyful gift too. Let’s live intentionally, fuel up, and let our joy loose, shall we?

What joy resource are you getting from The Joyful Life Magazine?

Elizabeth Joy

Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: , , , ,
February 18, 2021

How to be Intentional With God: The Busy Woman’s Guide

By

A Guest post from Kaitlyn Fiedler

How can we be intentional with God in an age of busyness? Life is demanding. Especially as a wife or momma, right? Every day, we are pulled in a million different directions.

House needs tending, food needs cooking, babies need holding, and clothes need folding. There are groceries to buy, there are weeds to pick, and there is mail to sort. Maybe a friend needs a visit, or parents need caring for. All this and so much more take up our days as women. And this doesn’t even cover the added time spent working a job either inside or outside the home.

So, in all this, how can we, as busy women, be intentional with God to open our hearts and minds to the Father? How do we hear his voice among the noise? How do we prioritize time with him, when daily tasks close in on us from the time our eyes open in the mornings?

Three Ways to be Intentional with God

Three practical ways come to mind:

Don’t wait for everything to be ‘just so.’

If we wait for everything to be ‘just so’ before we commit to spending time with God, we may never get around to doing it. I used to think that time with God had to look the exact same every single day: a big comfy chair with a nice soft blanket, a coffee in hand, soft music playing, and no interruptions- haha! If I couldn’t find that time in my schedule every day, I just wouldn’t spend any time with God. This is such a lie that is so easy to believe as women!

We see all the Instagram pictures of women having their quiet time every day in the most beautifully decorated spaces with the prettiest mug in hand and zero disruptions.

But if we want to get real, who actually has that kind of quiet time? I don’t know about you, but for me, many days, it doesn’t happen until after my little one goes down for their morning nap. After we’ve spent about an hour playing and feeding, he finally falls asleep and I get to finally sit down, ready for another nap myself.

Instead, I pour some coffee and rub my eyes, forcing myself to stay awake while I sit with hair a mess in a room filled with baby toys. If I’m lucky to read a couple of chapters straight through with no disturbances, it typically takes about 15 minutes, but most of the time it ends up taking about an hour due to interruptions from my little one waking up or my husband (working from home) having a question or wanting to talk about something.

So, to sum it up, everything will NEVER be ‘just so,’ but we’ve got to be disciplined in getting that time and making it work in our day, even if it’s not picture-perfect.

God is always with us, so we can be always with him.

Never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and meditate on God’s word day and night (Psalm 1:2).

These verses teach us to constantly be in communication with God all throughout our day. God is always available to be reached. We are never without him. He is with us and desiring to be our helper at all times.

Yes, there is a time for distancing ourselves (like Jesus did in Mark 1:35) in order to have uninterrupted quiet time talking with our Lord. But when we can’t do that, we are invited to talk to him and be with him at any point in our day, wherever we are.

Find God in every little thing.

The Lord never abandons us. He never leaves us to walk this life alone. He is everywhere, if we just look.

He can be found in the quiet of the night as we close our eyes and close out our thoughts, thanking him for every good thing He brought that day. God can be found in the early morning rise, as we ask him to guide us and show us his presence that day.

He can be found around the breakfast table with our family, as we thank him for his provision. God can be found in the car ride to school, as we love on our kiddos before sending them out for the day.

He can be found in the breeze on an afternoon walk… in the sunshine… in the rainfall. For He is the great Artist of creation. He can even be found in the messy and long afternoons as we work hard to take care of our home and our families.

Choose to be intentional with God

By the end of the day, we are weary, yet we have the opportunity to thank God for another day He’s given us. As we lay our heads down, we ask him for the strength to face another day and for his eyes (Matthew 13:16) to see him in every little thing.

Kaitlyn Fiedler lives near Greenville, SC with her husband and baby boy. She spends her days studying for her seminary classes and simply enjoying her days being a wife, a biological mom, and a new foster mom. She writes regularly about faith and womanhood on her blog: abeautifulbelonging.com. You can also find her on Instagram @kaitlyn_fiedler.

Thank you so much to Kaitlyn for joining us today at Joy Let Loose! I love your perspective and your encouragement to busy women, and the reminder to be intentional with God. There is such significance and beauty in cultivating our relationships with the Lord each day.

Elizabeth Joy

Posted in: Journey, Soul care
Tags: , , , , , ,
February 13, 2021

A Long Joyful Life Depends on…our Relationships?

By

“Good genes are nice, but joy is better.” Or so said the byline of the Harvard Gazette article I ran across recently. I was intrigued for obvious reasons, but not surprised by what I read. Because I have been contemplating that very thing: does our longevity depend at least in part on the quality of our relationships?

I have observed that the most fulfilled people I know seem to be the ones that are happy in their family and friendships. The people who seem most able to handle the tensions and tragedies of life are the ones who are well-rooted in relationships. More than financial security, job happiness, and even physical health, it seems to me that thriving relationships contribute to joy and longevity.

Is it true that a long joyful life depends on our relationships?

Have you ever been surprised by the resiliency of someone facing the unimaginable? I have. And when I think back, those people who have surprised me are ones who have deep family and friend relationships.

So it probably shouldn’t surprise us that there is such a significant battle raging against healthy relationships. If people will know we are Christians by the way we love one another (John 13:35), you better believe there is a very real spiritual battle trying to undo it all.

Relationships under fire

Families are fractured, friendships and marriages are compromised by competition, division of pride and deceit, and innocence is stolen by the very people that should care and protect. A war is waged on joyful, healthy relationships.

Further, social media (as helpful as it is for some things) has convinced us that superficial relationships are real and deep and enough. When we also considered the trending rise in anxiety, isolation, depression and suicide that seems to correlate with the increasing use and prevalence of “social” media, the conclusions of the Harvard Gazette are reinforced.

“When we gathered together everything we knew about them about at age 50, it wasn’t their middle-age cholesterol levels that predicted how they were going to grow old,” said Waldinger in a popular TED Talk. “It was how satisfied they were in their relationships. The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.”

The Harvard Gazette

What can we do?

Well friend, I’m glad you asked. If we want to improve our longevity, we can care for our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. And this needs to include working on our relationships. Here are just a few important components to healthy, thriving relationships.

Laughter

Do you remember that saying…couples that play together stay together? I think this extends beyond marriages too. Life-giving laughter and relaxed enjoyment are important in any relationship in order for it to thrive. We build trust there. We create memories. Surges of endorphins help us associate positively with those particular companions, and the sense of well-being they create are incidentally also good for our hearts. We want to be around the people who make us belly laugh – it’s good for our health.

Allow for many moments of laughter, and be someone who brings a smile to others and gives permission to stop and enjoy light moments.

Vulnerability

But we also need the people who help us cry it out. The ones who don’t give up on us when we bare the ugly parts we are working through. Trust and intimacy only grow as we open ourselves up to be known, and we become the safe place for another to do the same.

Don’t allow fear to stop you from increasing in vulnerability within your relationships. Show people who you are, and love them for doing the same. Healing happens in vulnerability, so any fractures in our relationships require it if we are going to become healthier.

Honesty

We simply must speak the truth in love. Deep, fulfilling relationships are able to withstand the hard conversations. Cultivate an environment where there is openness to correction, room for difficult discussions, allowance for differing opinions, and the collective pursuit of wholeness.

We must be able to receive it just as much as we dish it out, so pray that the Lord will help you increase in your humility to be transformed through conversation and prayer. Ask Him to help you season your conversations with grace as you pursue growth together.

Forgiveness

Nothing destroys a relationship quite like a grudge. Unforgiveness is often a silent enemy wreaking havoc on our minds, bodies, and connections. When we harbor resentment, it compromises our ability to trust others, it comes against our physical health, and it robs us of joy. Holding on to it cripples us even more than it impacts the person who hurt us.

If you are in a relationship that puts you in physical or emotional danger, please reach out for help. You do not need to stay there because you hope it will change. If you have been able to come out of a relationship that caused you harm, please seek the help of a Counsellor and a Pastor. Find someone who can help you walk through your healing process in a healthy way.

Whenever possible, apologize. Relationships grow stronger when you are humble enough to admit you are wrong, and you care enough for the other person to make it right. And whenever you can, release yourself from the trap of unforgiveness.

Generosity

Thriving friendships are selfless, giving, grace-filled, generous. They consider the well-being of the other first, lifting up and not tearing down. They don’t keep record of what was given and received. We offer without expecting anything in return. They find joy in serving the other.

Healthy relationships also discover how two people complement each other; How one’s strengths help another’s weakness, and how they are in fact stronger together. They delight in being a united and generous force together, and find ways to impact the world with their collective skills and gifts. They give of themselves and find joy.

A long, joyful life

“…the key to healthy aging is relationships, relationships, relationships.”

George Vaillant

I am a champion of people’s wellness because God has called me to let JOY loose in the lives of people around me. It’s my joy to come alongside people and find health in their bodies, minds, emotions, and spirits. I have become convinced that as believers in Christ we can radiate the life and joy of Jesus through our relationships, bringing life wherever we go.

And as we are intentional to foster and deepen our emotional and relational wellness, we will further our longevity and increase our opportunities to show this world His love.

Elizabeth Rhyno

Posted in: Family, Legacy
Tags: , , , , ,
February 3, 2021

How to Simplify in 2021

By

Joy Let Loose is an affiliate with Day Designer because they have really beautiful planners that I love. I am also an affiliate with Shipt and Amazon because they are super useful for simplifying life! If you click on any of my links and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission – thank you!

How to Simplify in 2021

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to simplify in 2021.

Are you a word-of-the-year kind of person? I am. I’ve actually shared about it several times on this blog, words like JOY, HAPPY, IMAGINE & PERSIST. Narrowing in on one or two words for the year has turned out to be a great way for me to focus and grow.

2020 became a year none of us expected, didn’t it? We all faced a lot of surprising and disappointing things. In our family that included the loss of our main source of income, my mom being sick and ultimately passing away from cancer, and my father-in-law rapidly declining with dementia. We still have many unknowns in front of us, like many others do. Our heads have been spinning a bit with the emotions, details, and decisions we need to make to move forward.

That was likely a big influence in my choice of words for 2021 – SIMPLIFY.

How to simplify in 2021

I’m writing this blog post for me. And you. I’ve decided on the word “simplify” for the year ahead, and now I need to walk it out. But I don’t want simplifying to be complicated because that would totally be counterproductive! I don’t have all the answers yet, but I have some things I’ve decided to do as I’ve been thinking about how to simplify in 2021. Here are a few. I’ll most likely be back in another post with some more.

Plan ahead

When I was in college, I got pretty good at juggling a schedule that included a ton of deadlines. Because my college experience included a ton of rehearsals, performances, and practice time, I really had to be on top of all the academic stuff. I used a system where I gave myself early deadlines so that I’d always be ahead of schedule. It worked.

Then life happened, with marriage, jobs, kids and volunteer stuff. And somehow I forgot how to use a planner. Maybe this is just me, but somehow I had a disconnect between school life and real life. I’m way in deep now to adulting, and I’m on the struggle bus trying to keep track of all the things now in my head. So I’m becoming a planner girl again. I found Day Designer, and love what they have, especially because some of their planners are undated so I can start partway into the year. I’ll keep you posted on how the transition back to a planned-out life goes.

Do you depend on a planner??

Simplified shopping

The only things I enjoy shopping for are clothes and gifts. Beyond that, I’m not a huge fan. So I’ve been working at simplifying how to shop for the necessities in life. I’ve combined a ton of my normal items into my monthly subscription box from Young Living, and I’ve started to LOVE using Shipt to get my groceries delivered. There is something sooooo freeing about creating an order in the evening, and having it on the doorstep first thing in the morning. (I really love practical packages on my doorstep, friends!) I save time and money by using a subscription box and a grocery delivery service…simple!

Time to pare down

It’s time for me to start to pare down on some things. The truth is, we will likely be selling our house in the next few months, either to move elsewhere or simply downsize – who knows? (the super long transition, right?) And downsizing in square footage means downsizing in stuff too. One of our sons will soon get his own place, so I’m setting aside things for him to take with him. After that, I’m going to create sections of “stuff” to sell, donate, or discard. These things include:

  • Furniture
  • Clothes and shoes
  • Home decor items
  • Books, books, books

I could use some suggestions in this arena. Do you have a tried and true method for paring down in “stuff”? Please tell me in the comments.

Focus on Purpose and Legacy

This is a big one for me right now, partly because we are facing so much unknown as far as where we will end up, but also partly because of the journey I was on with my mother in 2020. Legacy and purpose have become so much more important to me

I have narrowed down several things that I love:

  • I love helping people pursue health and wellness
  • Writing my story and sharing joy is my jam
  • I want people to know that freedom and joy are reality
  • It matters to me that people feel valuable and at home
  • I love helping people turn around and multiply

So, as I think about how to simplify in 2021 while we stare into the unknown, I know this: I will continue to invest in people’s joy and wellness by sharing Young Living, I will write strategic things to help people move toward lasting joy, and I will take steps toward my dream of hosting people at a Joy Let Loose lakehouse.

What about you?

Are you in a “simplify” mode? I’d love to hear how you plan to go about it! Share in the comments!

Elizabeth Joy

Posted in: Legacy, Simplify
Tags: , , , , , ,
November 23, 2020

How Can I Leave a Legacy Today?

By

How can I leave a legacy today?

I have two questions I’ve learned to ask myself:

  • Am I loving well?
  • How can I leave a legacy today?

My mom exemplified these questions for me. And with her passing just a few days ago it is becoming even more evident that she loved well. The stories people are sharing are building a consistent, radiant picture of who she was to everyone.

Sacred Moments

She saw her daily activities and conversations as sacred moments. She saw interactions with people as divine appointments, and really SAW people. My mother showed people value, dignity, worth, and her intentional living changed us.

I celebrate my sweet mother today. I celebrate the lives she touched. I cherish that in her quiet kindness, she changed the world around her by helping people hope, and then they turned around to inspire others toward hope and joy too.

What a beautiful legacy.

Many people can look back and see the legacy left for them. Others can’t. But we each have the opportunity to start fresh and choose to leave our own.

My mother gave me a heavenly perspective. She was my equalizer. She gave me eyes to see the difference between what carries temporal significance and what carries eternal worth. I might have shrugged and hem-hawed while learning it, but looking back I now see how my mom taught me discernment.

David Green

Are you ready to ask yourself those questions?

  • Am I loving well?
  • How can I leave a legacy today?

Elizabeth JOY

Posted in: Uncategorized