Grab your pens…

Today we start The Joy Before Me Challenge.  We are attempting to alter our perspectives by paying more attention to the things in our lives that bring us joy: blessings, surprises, comforts.  We’re writing them down so that in the midst of busy, challenging, crazy days, we don’t forget to notice all of the ways God is loving on us.

But before we do, I’ll let you in on what our family has been journeying through over the past few months and share some of the joy we’ve experienced amidst the struggle.  Fifteen weeks ago, unexpectedly, my husband was let go from his job.  His severance was small and our health insurance quit the very day he walked out of that office for the last time.  We had three children to feed, a mortgage, and diabetes supplies that without insurance cost over $1,200 each month.  His being our only reliable income, we were scared.  Did we believe God was in control of the situation?  Yes.  Did we believe that He would provide for us?  Of course.  Did we believe that Justin would land the perfect job at the exact time God wanted him to?  Absolutely.  Were we still nervous?  Scared?  Frustrated?  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.   That was 107 days ago.  Today, Justin is off on his very first day at his new job and we have a lot to be thankful for!  In the spirit of The Joy Before Me Challenge that we’re all starting today, I’m going to list some of the things of joy we experienced over the last 107 days.  (Sidenote: Not only am I a favorite pen person, but I’m also a list person, so I’m super excited about this!  “Nerd alert!”)

• Day 1.  As I was explaining our situation to the pharmacist and trying to stock up on insulin and test strips for Mackenna, a complete stranger overheard and handed me $40.  She said, “Everyone needs an opportunity to help someone else out.  Please take it.”  Also, the insulin I bought that day, randomly rang up for $0.00 and I didn’t realize until I got in the car.  So I left Target that day with dinner, insulin, and more cash than I walked in with.
• Day 11.  I was hosting Bunco night at our house with some girlfriends, so Justin took the kids to McDonalds for dinner.  They placed their order, and then the manager told them that their meal was “paid with lovin” that night…a family hug between the four of them was all it cost for that meal.  That same night, I won the highest prize at Bunco, $40…I had never won the high prize before.
• We were starting to get low on Mackenna’s pump supplies.  Just before spending hundreds of dollars placing a new order, I stumbled across a group on facebook called, Diabetics Pay It Forward.  A woman from that group sent us an extremely generous amount of supplies.  About a month later, we were getting low again and two other women, both moms of girls with type 1 diabetes, blessed us with generous amounts of supplies.  We ended up never having to order pump supplies.
• We had a new reason to encourage one another daily.  And we did.  We saw God’s grace in the ebbing and flowing of our emotions.  If he was down, I was hopeful.  If I was down, he was hopeful.  Our marriage is stronger because of this trial.
• Justin got to experience the craziness of our mornings on school days.  Getting everyone out of bed, fed, cleaned, dressed, and in the van by 8:30 am is a feat and having him there to help for a few months was a huge blessing to me.
• The kids enjoyed so much more daddy time than they were used to.  He left every morning around 9 am, and came back home between 4 and 5pm…just in time to take the kids on a bike ride or to the park while I worked on dinner.
• Our kids did not feel the pinch.  They knew that Daddy wasn’t going to his same job anymore and that he was looking for a new one, but their minds were spared from the stress that we were feeling.

There were so many blessings in the middle of our storm.  So many friends and family members stepped up with the right word at just the right time, or blessed us with a meal or more.  And when we started to lose hope, because sometimes we did, and when we started to worry, because we did that a lot, and when we forgot that the God of the Universe who loves us immensely was taking care of us, He used our people to remind us.

As we begin The Joy Before Me Challenge today, let’s open our eyes wide to see who and what God is using to remind us that He loves us!  Is it your child’s giggle?  The smell of fresh air?  Your favorite pen?  Finding something you thought was lost?  A timely text or email?  I can’t wait for you to discover all the joys before you!  There are no rules.  You can write or type.  You can list words or you can write paragraphs.  You can write twice daily, once daily, weekly, whatever.  You decide how the challenge fits into your life.

Ready?  Let’s do this.