Living in the Joy of the Lord: 6 Practical Ways

It’s an overcast evening with light air hanging over the black-eyed susans that blanket the fields behind the house. I’m not thinking about living in the joy of the Lord, but I’m about to learn a lesson that will forever change my life.

I’ve spent most of the day cleaning the house, dealing with a frustrating computer issue, and searching the basement boxes for size 3T sweatpants.

By the time the food is on the table and the family is gathered on the deck for dinner, I’m weary.

Living in the Joy of the Lord

We’ve just finished our meal when it happens.

Our sweet little girl winds up with a banana peel in her right fist. She’s aiming for the weeds behind me, but I know what’s about to happen before I have time to stop her.

She throws the peel as hard as her small arm can, and the peel smacks me in the center of my face.

Silent stares watch my face for a reaction.

In a split second, I make a choice that will set the tone for the rest of the evening.

I choose hysterical laughter. We all laugh until our eyes water, and I consider throwing something in return, but I know where it could lead and resist. The moment is priceless, and I’m thankful I chose laughter.

The Power of a Choice

When the dishes are washed and the kids are busy making bubbles in the yard, I reflect on the banana peel. Something about the moment felt like I’d just encountered the heart of the Father, and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

For years, I’ve claimed Philippians 3:8 as my life verse: More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.

Thinking of the verse, I unlock the truth wrapped in the shriveled banana peel: I come to know Christ more deeply when I let go of my agenda, my rights, and my expectations of how circumstances should unfold. I come to know him more when I can laugh at the ridiculous and let go of what doesn’t really matter.

In doing so, I experience God’s peace and joy in abundance.

Do you want to begin living in the joy of the Lord more often, too?

Let’s talk about six simple ways to step into God’s joy today.

Living in the Joy of the Lord: 6 Ways

As a whole, my summer has been filled with lessons on living in the joy of the Lord. Here are the lessons I’ve gleaned, and I pray they might speak to you as well.

1. Living in the joy of the Lord begins with laughing often.

I have a terrible habit of taking myself too seriously.

Instead of laughing at life’s banana-peel moments, I often lose my temper or respond in frustration.

Meanwhile, I’m learning that living in God’s joy begins when I let myself laugh often. God has a sense of humor, and he is pleased when we learn to laugh at life’s small mishaps, too.

2. We experience God’s joy when we learn the secret of contentment.

We spent quite a few weekends in the hills of northern Pennsylvania this summer.

Throughout most of my life, our family’s cabin in the hills has been a place of solace for me.

My husband and I have often discussed our longings to move permanently to a cabin in the woods somewhere.

This summer, while reading Shauna Niequist’s book Present over Perfect, I was struck with a new thought about contentment. Shauna writes about similar feelings as her family regularly seeks reprieve at a cottage on a lake:

“It’s at the lake that I realize how far I’ve come, or how far I have yet to travel. Both, maybe. It’s at the lake that my priorities reshuffle, aligning more closely with my true nature.

“I’ve wondered from time to time if we should move here, permanently, to this small Michigan town. But it seems to me that we’d bring our bustling and hustling here, and pretty soon we’d need a new place to escape in order to recalibrate. Part of the magic of the lake is that it isn’t home – it’s away, and away allows us to see the rhythms and dimensions of our lives more clearly.”

Shauna’s words remind me that living in the joy of the Lord means living fully present in the place where God has planted my feet.

The grass might seem greener elsewhere, but the minute the boxes are unpacked, that green grass is bound to shrivel and look just like the rest of the world. #contentment Share on X

3. We experience God’s joy when we learn to pursue “smallness.”

I was struck by this quote in a blog post called “Chasing Smallness” by Shauna Shanks this summer:

“These past few years God has been re-ordering my life. Rather than a bigger is better attitude, He has asked me to stop all the chaos, hand him over the crumpled-up mess I’d made, and start again. Smaller this time.”

These words remind me that bigger, faster, and more glamorous are not always best. At times, I’ve struggled with the smallness of this season of motherhood. Meanwhile, God is pleased when I pour my life out for these young children. There’s not much applause, but the smallness doesn’t indicate insignificance.

4. We live in God’s joy when we don’t avoid hard things.

This summer, I’ve also been inspired by the words of Tsh Oxenreider. Tsh and her husband embarked on a 9-month journey around the world with their three young children. Before leaving on the trip, she wrote a note to her future self. The note read:

“You’re in China, which is hard. But you can do hard things. You won’t be here long. This month is the foundation for the year. Lean into the struggles: give thanks for the easy times. Hard doesn’t mean wrong. You’re on the right path.”

Her words remind me that difficult doesn’t always mean wrong. I’ve also learned that the difficult seasons have a way of ushering me into greater joy than I ever could have imagined.

5. Greater joy comes through vulnerability and connection.

We were not meant to live in isolation. We grow by rubbing shoulders with other people, sharing our stories with them, and joining together as we pursue Christ.

This summer has taught me that being vulnerable with others leads to true connection. We are not meant to pursue God in isolation. The more we connect with others, the greater joy we will experience in the Lord.

6. Living in the joy of the Lord happens when we no longer fear failure.

I’ve spent years running from even the possibility of failure. Meanwhile, when we resist risk because of the fear of failure, we often miss out on life’s most fulfilling, joyful endeavors.

I’ve been stepping into risk this summer. Surprisingly, I’m finding that following God in this way is opening me to greater joy than I ever imagined, even when stepping out involves failure.

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As summer fades to autumn in the subtle shift from light to darkness, warmth to chill, and green to crimson, we will keep growing deeper roots around here. We will keep laughing at the ridiculous and smiling at the future.

A Free Devotional to Help You With Living in the Joy of the Lord

I have a gift for you today: my free online devotional, Unrushed: Slow Your Pace and Embrace the Fully-Present Life. We will talk about how to slow down, be more present in your moments, and unleash greater joy. Click here, and I’ll send this free online devotional to your email inbox!

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Calling all moms and daughters!

Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.

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