Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Joy Let Loose! With 2017 coming to a close, and Christmas celebrations still ringing in my ears, I celebrate what God has done this year.
Just one year ago I felt purposeless, and confused in my new home. But I heard God whispering the word “Joy” to me for 2017. I imagined what that might look like. Of course, things don’t always turn out how we imagine they might, but as I review what has happened, God has still proven to be a Joy-Giver.
I dreamt up Joy Let Loose in a season of grief. I wanted to find joy for myself, but I also wanted to spill it out for others to experience. If I had lost my joy, likely others had too. Could God use me to help them find it again?
So I took the plunge and started this blog. I’ve had my ups and downs as it has gotten off the ground. I’ve found some new communities that have helped me to learn, and to recover from disappointments, and I’ve been encouraged by many of your comments here and on my Facebook page. I have seen how much Pinterest impacts readership, and taken a course or two along the way as well. But as I review, there is still much to learn.
And even more, I keep needing to remember WHY.
So as year one of Joy Let Loose winds down, I took a look in the rearview mirror. I’ve posted 44 times, and here were my TOP 10 posts this year:
Joy Let Loose readers come from all across the globe, from the USA to Uganda, Sri Lanka to New Zealand. How amazing to remember that people are seeking God’s joy from one end of the earth to the next. And I pray that the things I write can be a part of how God spreads it.
So this morning I sent an email to my Joy Let Loose subscribers, asking for their input. How can I best encourage them in 2018? I’d like to ask the same of you, my blog readers. What has encouraged you on this blog in 2017? What topics have I missed?
Would you do me a favor and discuss in the comments below:
I’d love to continue building the Joy Let Loose community, and hearing how God is impacting your lives with His joy in 2018. If you’d like to hear from me in your inbox on occasion, and receive 5 Prayer Prompts to restore your JOY over the next 5 days, please click here!
Merriest of Christmas & New Year celebrations to you and to your families.
Elizabeth Joy
No matter what shape or form they take, or how they came to be, families are special. I believe they are a primary place where God intends for us to experience His joy in our lives. In a culture where there are so many breakdowns to the family unit, having Family Traditions is one helpful way to foster unity, create special memories and build legacy.
Sometimes traditions begin on purpose, and sometimes they grow almost by happenstance. Some are tied to holidays, and some to the regular days, to create interest or to instil values. The traditions we have created in our family have been a source of joy for us as our crew has grown and changed.
I’ve collected together 12 Family Traditions for Holidays or Regular Days that I hope you find inspiring for your family. You can use these ideas just as they are, or perhaps your family will put its own spin on some of them. Share in the comments below if you try out any of these ideas!
A few things were certain: the baby didn’t know it was his birthday, he wasn’t sick, and he still needed to eat! In true super-dad form, my husband Scott took one for the team and went to make breakfast. He wanted to make something special, and relatively new for our little guy, and decided upon pancakes. Long before ‘pancake art’ was even a thing, Scott made one pancake in the simple shape of a “1”, which he then served the baby, snapping a picture to keep for posterity. That was about the extent of the celebrations for that day.
When the next birthday rolled around, Scott remembered the previous year and poured a “2” with his pancake batter. Voilà, the first of our Family Traditions was born! As crazy as it seems, just this week, our oldest son will receive his 18th birthday pancake from his dad! In addition, we have served 28 others, between our second son and our daughter. It has become an enjoyable thing for each of them to look forward to on their big day. And, by virtue of our pictures heading out on the internet, we have seen the Birthday Pancake tradition spread from family to family over the years.
*If you have adopted the tradition of making birthday pancakes somewhere along the way, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
When Grace was very small, I got the book Just Mom and Me Having Tea: A Fun Bible Study for Mothers and Daughters
The pink sun starts to draw itself above the black horizon as the familiar tones of my alarm clock ease me into wakefulness. By now, it has learned to be polite. It’s blurry, I’m pretty sure it’s too soon, but morning’s here nonetheless. A new day stretches out in front of me with a morning joy challenge in it. Even before I reach my toes to meet the rug, I have a choice to make about how I’ll enter the day: I can growl, I can bury my face for just. one. more. minute. Or I can choose differently.
Let’s face it, mornings often arouse the bear in us. A litany of reasons to start the day under a cloud of tension and negativity often exist: a looming deadline, echoes of a previous day’s argument, nervousness about an upcoming appointment, the realization that it is time to begin the tired routine of dragging children out of bed…again. We often don’t begin our days with the perspective we wish we did. But the reality is that our mornings set the tone for the entire day.
So, is morning joy simply a decision we can make? Maybe. But most of us need a few reminders and a little help in order to discover it. I wonder just what might happen in the long run if more of us set our sights on pursuing true, and abiding joy.