Fight for Joy
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Col. 4:2 ESV).
February 2020 found me anxious and depleted. In addition to the usual Midwestern winter doldrums, our family was in a difficult season. Our homeschooling year wasn’t going well. We were contemplating a change in my husband’s job and possible relocation. We began the final steps of leaving our faith community of over ten years.
Many nights this past winter, my mind hummed with anxious thoughts. I felt fragile and explosive at the same time. Fears swallowed my joy, and I couldn’t shake a feeling of unease. I consider myself a grateful person, but I let stress become my focus over gratitude in those weeks of busyness and strain.
Then, as if God snapped his fingers, the world stopped. On an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday in March, I left the dentist’s office and headed to the bookstore to browse while my children were at their homeschool co-op, not knowing it would be my last time in a retail store for several months. By Friday, the co-op had canceled in-person classes, and my husband was working from home.
The COVID-19 pandemic quickly quieted all the noise in my head. All plans for a possible move stopped as we could barely plan out the next week, let alone the next few months. Many of the mundane decisions that had been taking up brain space were simply no longer important enough to give time or thought to, except for the critical question of where to find toilet paper.
Our world was reduced to our home and the few acres that surround it. I can’t tell you what a blessing it was to have a small space to roam while our state was under safe at home orders. With my distractions swept away and my life’s goodness laid bare, I was able to find gratitude for the simplest things: a misty morning walk, lungs freely breathing the air, a safe and warm home, a family I love.
We’ve all seen the memes and heard people talking about how they can’t wait for this year to be over. The worst pandemic in over a hundred years, racial reckoning, and economic uncertainty have left all of us tired and ready for a new start. But what if 2020 isn’t all bad? Our family refers to this time as “the great magnifier,” holding its lens above the world’s many problems and bringing them to our undivided attention. It has also helped us fight for joy.
While 2020 has magnified the hard, it also highlighted the good. I have never felt more grateful for the most essential things. I would not have chosen a pandemic to slow the world down, but the slower pace of life has brought many benefits. It’s made us closer to our neighbors, giving us many opportunities to love them well. This time has helped us identify and live out our priorities in a way nothing before has done.
Fight for Joy
If you find yourself struggling, thinking of the many more months this pandemic will likely be a part of our lives, I encourage you to fight for joy by embracing a spirit of gratitude. Write down three things you are grateful for each morning and night. There are even apps to record your moments of gratitude. Prayer, too, is an essential weapon in your gratitude arsenal. Ask God to reveal small things you can be thankful for. Be honest with him when you are feeling depleted, and ask for comfort.
These are challenging times. Our grandchildren will read about 2020 in history books one day and ask how we made it through. We can be a vital part of their spiritual formation by sharing with them how we found beautiful things in hard places, recounting God’s faithfulness in all circumstances, and teaching them to fight for joy.
Lord, you are with us at all times, but especially when we are brokenhearted and weary. Please show us where you are at work in our lives during these challenging times. Give us a spirit of gratitude, and magnify all our blessings so we can see them clearly. Help us encourage each other to fight for joy in dark places.
Scripture for Reflection
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:18 ESV)
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.” (Ps. 136:1 ESV)
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:15-19 ESV)
Reach for More
Have you let the concerns of the world overtake your gratitude for the little things in life? Spend some time reflecting on all the things you have to be grateful for and consider making this a tradition with your family. Fight for joy together.
Many people choose to do gratitude challenges in November. Consider participating in a gratitude challenge of your own. If you share your moments of gratitude online, be sure to use the hashtag #tgtreachformore so we can celebrate these moments with you.
is a small-scale farmer, home educator, chicken chaser, kitchen dancer, and mediocre knitter. Her favorite things include spending time with her family, exploring the natural world, reading, eating spicy food, and singing loudly in the car (to the embarrassment of her children). Lindsay believes sharing our stories will change the world. She writes about farming, homeschooling, faith, mental health, sobriety, and living an unconventional life. You can follow her adventures at peckandpetalfarm.com.
Photograph © Rosie Kerr, used with permission
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