Journey into Joy

So....joy.  I am a few days into this new journey of choosing joy every day.  And well.....I have to say that I am already finding out that joy is, as usual, a little elusive some days.  But I am also finding that because it is my focus word for 2013, I purposely seek the joy in even the most frustrating days.  It's an intentional choice....and I am finding that it requires a little work on my part.  Let me share...

So, one day at work, I realized I was looking at a bit of a financial setback.  It was almost payday, and I was somewhat shocked to find my paycheck - though it included a raise - was less than what I expected.  In fact, less than what I had been getting before the raise.  What?  I got a little worked up, I have to admit.  A little cranky, a little whiny, a few tears....until something, or I should probably say Someone, reminded me of my One Word.  Oh....yeah.  Ok.  Stop.  Breathe.  Look for the joy.  Really?  There's joy in a smaller paycheck?  Not sure how that adds up...  So, another deep breath and then I looked at it calmly.  What changed?  Well, taxes changed.  Wait, it's not just the social security tax change...although that did make part of the difference.  But, I also had to change my status from "married" to "single", which makes a huge difference.  As I worked through what I needed to do with my W4 to keep my paycheck at least close to the same, I realized that this did NOT need to be a situation that stole my joy.

There are many things that can take our joy that seem to be beyond our control.  However, when you take a closer look at many situations, there are things you can do, and choices you can make that can turn it from a joy stealer to a joy maker.  When I calmly looked at my alternatives, I was able to come up with a way to "rescue" my paycheck, and take a closer look at my budget.  I have certain financial goals I want to meet, such as getting rid of debt and building up an emergency fund for myself and my children.  This was a golden opportunity for me to take a good look at those goals and the steps to take for reaching them. 

In the end, I did find joy in that moment.  I took some action, and not only that, but was reminded that God will provide.  I can't tell you how many times He has taken care of me and my family in the past, and I know that He will continue to do so.  Joy.  It's there!