Finding Joy!

As part of my own personal New Year's resolutions I have decided to read my new one year devotional daily (Inspiration for Girlfriends by Ellen Miller). If I just woke up 5 minutes early I could read my devotional and blog about it before getting ready for my day. By spending a few minutes focused on God to start off my day could be truly amazing.... therefore I am going for it! This will serve also as a topic to blog about. I hope this can benefit you as well by taking this journey together.

The first topic at hand is joy. Joy is a state of the heart that we can control. No one can mess with our joy unless we let them. God promises our joy can overflow!! John 15:11 Today I read that we as women are usually always seeking approval from others. Many times we want approval because as little girls we craved getting praise from our parents. So often we tie approval to respect claiming they are synonomous, but they aren't. People can respect you without agreeing with you all of the time.

So often I feel that I am constantly looking for people's approval. I try to gain my co-workers respect and judge that based on if they approve of what I am doing. If I really think about it they may agree to disagree, but they still respect me as a teacher and professional. Even when I am struggling with my dance team parents, I stress out hard core when they are disappoving of something because it didn't go perfectly. They still respect me as a coach - at least I feel they still do. Even my battle with the need to feel approval from my in-laws is something I need to come to terms with. I love my husband's family because I am so blessed by gaining a family who is very much like mine. I do struggle with this because I am always feeling the need to "win them over." I always try to get everything just right when hosting for them, making food for a family function, or just as simple as talking to them in everyday conversation. As I reflect back on things I realize I am just me and they should respect me just the way I am. I believe as time has gone on they are seeing they have a pretty good package in me as a daughter-in-law. I want to fit into their family and make them proud of me. I want to do whats best for not only Chad and I, but them as well. Most of my battle occurs in my mind because I have become extra self-concious around them. I need to let it go and realize they do love me and are glad I am part of their family. I have nothing to prove except to be myself.

That leads to the last point in my daily devo..... I liked the last quote in the devo that may become my daily mantra for the next few weeks. "Someone will not like something I say or do today but that's ok --- God and I are well pleased with me." I also need to remember Psalm 16:11. Please read it and relish in the verse! :)

Are you holding on to YOUR joy today?? Or are you letting others take it from you? Or giving it away yourself?