**This is an excerpt from my upcoming book, “They Call Me Mama.” If you enjoy it, keep watching for the launch sometime this year!
The breeze blew gently across my face as I swayed in the hammock. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the coffee was lukewarm, and the kids were playing happily. I looked up into the emerald leaves of the maple tree that held me secure and breathed out three simple words, “Joy lives here,” and I meant them with every fiber of my being. In all of the chaos, in all of the noise, in all of the mess – there is JOY.
People often say, “You’re crazy.” I have learned to respond, “Yes, I am. Crazy blessed.” This life I live – it’s a good one. Easy? No way. Exhausting? Sometimes. But joy-filled? ALWAYS. No one can make me laugh like my husband and kids can. They have unearthed sounds in me I never knew I could make. Like the “Squeal and Snort” and the “Smoker’s Cough.” Who knew my lungs were capable of such monstrosities? Who knew that joy could be felt all the way down to your toes? I didn’t…until God gave me them.
They fill each day with a million reasons to say, “Thank you.” A wiggle of an eyebrow at the perfect moment, a pun when you least expect it, an unplanned dance party in the Oatmeal aisle of Wal-Mart. All it takes is one of these moments and I am a goner. Laughter and gratitude are guaranteed to follow.
A few weeks ago, as we hurried to dress and feed our children for Wednesday Bible Study, our son, Gideon, decided that he could not be satisfied by simply wearing his “church best” to class. After refusing everything in his closet, he donned his white dress-up tuxedo with tails and bowtie, laced up his black tennis shoes, and drenched his hair in a bath of water and gel. Marching up the stairs proudly, he began walking back and forth in front of me like a peacock showing off his beautiful plumage in an effort to attract attention.
“Ma, what do you think? I think I look real good. Actually, I know I look real good.”
Lifting my concentration from the braid, half-done in my hands, I looked at him slightly shocked and very much unsure of how to proceed. On the one hand, he was adorable. On the other hand, the outfit was a bit impractical.
“Wow! That is fun. But, uh, I don’t think you need to be that dressy for church.”
“Oh, Ma,” he sighed. “I really want to wear this. I feel so nice.”
“Okay,” I responded, pausing only a moment to confirm my decision with my heart.
“Why not? Go for it, kid. At least it’s clean.”
“Yes!” he celebrated, fist repeatedly pumping the air. “This is going to be great.”
“Yes!” I agreed. “This IS great.”
That night, as Gideon proudly walked the hallways of the church to his class, every single person who saw him smiled. They smiled! Not out of pity. Not out of politeness. They sent him true, genuine, wrinkle-your-eyes kind of smiles because his delight was contagious, because his joy set off joy in them—and he loved it. He ate it all up. He relished in it.
Then, the next week, when it came time to choose an outfit, you can bet your bottom dollar that he came back up those stairs with that darn tuxedo again and a huge, toothy grin.
“Hey, Ma…”
Children. They have a way of birthing joy and wonder in us. They see the world differently than we do. They don’t need an all-inclusive beach vacation to find joy. They know exactly where it lives. In the splash of a mud puddle, in an intense game of Jenga, in a sticky marshmallow around a simple bon fire pit, in a dress-up tuxedo. They don’t have to look far or do much to discover its whereabouts. They know what we often forget, that joy lives here and is available to us if we will simply reach out and lay hold of it.
Even on the hard days, it is visible. It is present. Joy doesn’t rise and fall on the back of our circumstances. It is a constant companion and can be found at any time, by those who choose to seek it out.
Our son, Jordan, is one such “seeker of joy.” We can be having the worst of days and he will find the perfect pun and share it at just the right time to bring us all to a place of eye-watering, belly-aching laughter. His comedy routines are a thing of beauty…and he knows it. The laughter he finds at the end of each of his jokes makes it even more enjoyable. Life is better with him in it.
Our daughter, Shiloh, does it too. “Mom, you sit down and we are going to put on a show for you.” Her shows bring so much delight. I don’t care what kind of day you are having, when you see a Chihuahua dressed up as a camel bringing gifts to baby Jesus and six-year old little brother swaddled in a large throw blanket being carried by Mother Mary (played by his ten year old sister who can barely hold him since they are almost the exact same size) – you will smile. It is impossible NOT to smile.
This is a good life. Joy has etched its name into so many of our memories, so many of our moments. I will forever look back on these days together as some of the best days of my life here on earth. Saying “yes” to God is the best thing we have ever done. Never will you hear us regret it. Never will you hear us wish we had chosen another path. Our “yes” opened the door to the grandest and most exciting of adventures. Our “yes” led us to a place of incredible joy. Our “yes” gave us: Reuben, Abraham, Peter, Jordan, Nevaeh, Shiloh, Brionna, Daniel, Isaiah, Hadassah, Ezekiel, Gideon, Phoebe, and Jedediah – fourteen living proofs that saying “yes” to God is most definitely and undeniably….worth it.
Saying “yes” to God is the best decision you will ever make.