Finding Joy

Husband got in at 3:45 this morning from working an overnight, and I was awake.  I was awake because I had been tossing and turning all night because our room would just not cool down and I was too hot.  This morning I woke up and began thinking about all the things I didn't do in the last few weeks because I was so busy preparing for the LIFE Conference.  There was a bill I forgot to pay.  Husband's phone stopped working and of course, we don't have insurance on it and our opportunity to get it ran out two days ago, so we'd have to pay out of pocket for whatever is wrong.  There's a whole bunch of stuff we have to do about the new-to-us truck we just bought, like check it out with a mechanic, which costs money, and see if we can refinance it through a different company for a better deal.  The house is still a disaster.  We owe a lot of money to my parents.  I didn't have time to put any of our Student Council events on the calendar for the year, and I haven't gotten us a place for our first fall retreat, which will be next to impossible now.  The list goes on and on.

But then I remembered two things. 

First, this year God has been challenging me to find joy in all things, to choose to be positive, to change my attitude. 

Second, what I'm freaking out about all has to do with time and money, and my money and time were given to me by God in the first place.  They aren't even really mine.

Let me re-tell you about my morning.

Husband got home at 3:45 this morning, which was two hours earlier than we expected, so he was able to get a few more hours of sleep.  I was awake, which meant I could ask him how his night went- it's always nice to come home to a spouse who wants to talk to you.  It's hot, but it's not humid like it was in Kentucky, and it was much cooler downstairs than in our bedroom, so at least there is a cooler place for me to go.  I checked our checking account, and there is more than enough money to pay the bill I forgot to pay.  My mom has an old phone that still works perfectly that, if we can't get Sprint to help us out on fixing Husband's phone, we can switch his number to it for free.  We have a wonderful truck that will meet our needs and also are able to pay for the mechanic to check it out.  I have a pretty free week, so I can work on cleaning up my house.  I have a house I love.  My parents were able to help us pay for the horse's medical needs and are being generous in our repayment plan.  There is still time to put StuCo events in the calendar, we just may have to be more flexible.  But flexibility is good to learn.  And if I can't find a place for our StuCo retreat, we'll have a lock-in at the school. 

Much better.  It's not my time and it's not my money, and when I choose to remember that and to change my attitude, joy abounds.