Joy – My One Thing for 2011
Blowing dust off something and starting back up again can be very therapeutic.
I apologize for the long absence, life has just been so busy with school, church, and the band all going full swing at the same time. I think my body got the flu just to give me an extended break of sorts. Through all the busy-ness, it’s easy to lose track of friendships and it’s easy to lose sight of the things that really give you joy, as opposed to simply taking up space.
Pastor Jeff gave us all at Lifepoint a challenge for the new year: focus on one thing, one thing that would define our 2011. Through what he said and some of my own soul-searching, I decided that the one thing I need to work on was joy. Because of all the pitfalls and firefights and knock-down-drag-through-the-mud-moments of 2010, I decided I was going to take time to find joy and really simply enjoy life in 2011.
Now while this can sound like some neo-hippie thing to say for me, I can honestly say that it’s going to take work to achieve this. Finding joy in things means taking an active approach to stay on top of the workload, to not let it get out of hand, so as to find more time to do the things I love and enjoy doing; and not staying busy just by filling up space. It also takes conscious inventory of time, making sure I don’t just sit around bored when I have nothing to do. The most important thing, above all else, is to spend quality time with God in prayer, reading, and writing because he is the source of true joy.
And what are some of the things that give me joy? Well, I’m a simple man, and as such, I like to keep things simple. Spending quality time with friends is definitely something that gives me joy. It doesn’t have to be any kind of grand adventure, but quality time is something I hold near and dear to my heart. Of course, playing music is always something I enjoy, and I need to really work hard to make sure that it doesn’t become just my “job”. Other things like writing, cooking, and small and simple activities like that are enough to bring me joy. Any one or combination of things is sure to bring a smile to my face.
With a new year, it’s easy to say that we’ll do something and then turn around and forget that something not even two weeks later. This is not some flimsy resolution that I’m gonna break in February. This is a course in which I’m really going to steer my life this year. What’s your one thing for 2011?
PS-For little mini-blog updates, you can check me out on Tumblr! http://wesrose.tumblr.com
