Day 13 : Enjoy Today

We think of enjoy as taking pleasure in something. But the word is actually derived from the Old French word enjoier which means to give joy to something.

Take and give - the first implies consuming, the latter producing.

Can we choose today to give joy, rather than expect it to be ours for the taking? Perhaps that's why at the end of many events or days we think, "Wow, I really did not enjoy that." We are expecting to get something rather than being prepared to give. 

Scripture points to the idea that it is more blessed to give than to receive. It's a divine paradox to be sure, for it makes more sense that we would be much happier to receive than to give. However, we know it to be true, from every personal experience of giving, that when we selflessly give, the blessings we receive are exponentially greater than what we gave.

When we look back on our lives, wouldn't we rather it be filled with joy? To say that we enjoyed our lives? Then, let us give joy today, and in giving, receive great joy. 

Don't forget to give joy.

Call your grandmother.

Have pizza delivered to a friend's house for dinner.

Blow bubbles for your babies.

Build a fort with your kids.

Send your spouse out to Starbucks for an hour to recharge.

Enjoy.

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Full confession - I did not enjoy many parts of my day today. Today was hard. I was here, alone, with both boys for more than 12 hours. Judah is not-quite-two but very much two right now. I will never grow accustomed to being told "NO" by anyone...much less a toddler. I felt tested at every turn today. Instead of choosing to give joy, I probably just made our situation more miserable by choosing to be authoritative and challenging. {Hmmmm...and I wonder where my child gets this from...} I know there is time for discipline and unwavering expectations and I am questioning my every decision and every motive sitting here after midnight. It's what we do, right? Forever?

And yet, there were endearing moments of the day within the beautiful, ugly mess. So, I'm choosing to give joy in the form of grace toward myself, admitting that I'm still new at this and that no one ever really gets it right all the time. Knowing that through it all, I love these boys of mine - the biggest to the littlest.

#NotForgettingThis

Not forgetting a sweet helper who always wants to "peep" the floor after dinner.

Not forgetting when the littlest baby learned to swat at bright toys.

Not forgetting that sometimes bedtime is just a bust,
so we lay in Mommy and Daddy's bed and play with a pinwheel.

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This is the thirteenth post in the series 31 Days of Not Forgetting.

If you'd like to read previous posts in the series, click here and scroll to the bottom.