Everyday we momma’s get lost in the busyness of taking care of nearly everything (At least that’s how my life feels on many days) In this busyness and the continual hustle of life, it’s easy to get stuck on autopilot-pilot and forget to live intentionally.
This is not a post to infuse shame into you sprit, it is just the opposite, a post to help us busy mom’s recognize the torture we unknowingly place on ourselves. After all, moms wear many hats and often forget about our own needs, in the constant endeavor to meet the needs of everyone around us. Moms, take a deep breath, just for a moment think about the daily tasks that you manage and take care of, to the point that many spouses, children, and others would get lost in the task of doing everything on daily task list. Mom’s, you serve, you give, you move from one thing to the next— All day, everyday, and it is so easy to forget about joy.
Let’s be honest, for most of us “joy” is usually some far away thought, that we have heard about and know we should regularly have in our life, but we rarely truly tap into “joy”. This is not because life is somehow against us, it is most-likely because we fail to ponder, tap into, or even think about inviting “joy” into our everyday lives.
When living in the well-known auto-pilot mode, it does not come with a “joy” option – Auto-pilot is survival, endurance, and making it through the day. Auto-pilot is allowing the familiar neuropathways in our brain to run the show. Auto-pilot is necessary from time to time, but most of us momma’s camp out there because it seems easy, except it’s actually so much harder in the long run .
Joy is the best part of being alive, it is purpose, meaning, and hope. The only way we can fully access joy is to begin making joy a regular intentional thought and to refocus our brains toward intentional living. Intentional living will look like a life that consists of joy, peace, and contentment. God has given us a purpose, meaning, and aspects of life that enliven us, we’ve often just lost touch of the things we love. God has placed desires in your heart and has given you things you love and desire. It is important to slow down long enough to intentionally seek the things in life that we desire and that bring us “joy”.
Here are some questions to help you recall what you love about life?
- What makes you smile?
- What makes life worth living?
- What brings you joy?
- What causes you to forget about time?
- What makes you feel most alive?
- When do you feel most like yourself?
I am going to be honest; These questions at first glance were overwhelming to me. For some reason, they brought up unexpected and conflicting emotions. It was “as if” my souls needed such a refreshing thought process, but my flesh desperately wanted to skip over the questions due to feeling vulnerable and even somehow exposed. As I sit here and write, I feel a hint of sadness and a tear slipping down my cheek – Where is my joy? Why does it feel so far removed from my presence? Maybe, even a little fear about the thought of tapping into this “joy” concept.
Friends, when you engage in the things you love, you reconnect with God, with the people you love, others who come across your path, and with the truest version of yourself. This life sure has a way of causing us to lose sight of joy and to fail to bring out our truest self – This life has a way of pushing these parts of us down. What about you? How often do you feel true joy? How often do you feel like the truest version of yourself?
In a world that often feels overwhelming, joy must be pursued intentionally. Unfortunately, joy doesn’t just happen to us one day. Joy is pursued and even something we have to fight for to achieve. It is essential we learn to live with joy in our lives, because life is short and I choose to live a life with intention, not a life I merely survived through.
How often do you live on autopilot—letting your flesh, busyness, and stress dictate the pace. This is a virtually important concept, because joy doesn’t come from chaos. It NEVER will! Joy only comes from intentional living with Christ at the center. We can only find true “joy” when we slow down and actively search for and look for it in our everyday lives. We must “pursue” joy it rarely comes to us out of the blue, it is a continual pursuit of God, purpose, healing, meaning, and intentionally seeing the beauty all around us.
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” — Colossians 3:2
“In Your presence is fullness of joy.” — Psalm 16:11
Joy is found in God’s presence, in seeing beauty in the everyday, and in remembering what lights your soul on fire.
Take care of you. Not just so you can keep going—but because God delights in you when you’re fully alive.
Blessings,
Crystal
The Flame Within 
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