Joy , Perspective and Contentment .

It  all ended with goodbyes , some tears and some reminiscing of the past year.  As I got on the bus on my way back home after finishing my junior year of college I could only think of how much I would miss my friends and how I  was not looking forward to going home to do idk what ?! One thing I did know is that I really wanted this summer to be a season where I became a bit more mature and independent or may I just say GROW UP ?

Well my trip home began with a good two weeks of jury duty . I guess it doesn’t get more grown up than that ! I thought… Even though I was getting payed to attend, at the same time I was looking forward to it ending so I could “begin my summer”. Well once it ended I had absolutely nothing to do and I was like well what do I do now ?( and yes I applied to jobs and tried to sign up for summer classes) Ohhhhhhhh and let me add that at the beginning of those  2 weeks of jury duty I decided to do this bold thing and cut my hair which was also kind of an ,”I’m mature and I make decisions now kinda thing”. I kind of regret it but hopefully it grows back 😦  

Another part of the past month since I’ve been home is an experience with understanding JOY and CONTENTMENT.I was/am  really struggling with the concept of  are we ever happy as humans? like is anything ever enough ? It’s like we wait for sooo long for things to happen and when they happen its like it’s not enough . It can often feel as if  life is a constant waiting for one event after the other . I’m like I hate studying so I cant wait to graduate college,  but will I be happy when I graduate college ? after all the congrats are done ? Will it be enough when I have my dream career  ?  ( no idea what that is btw) Will  it be enough when I have a house with a beautiful backyard and a hammock one day ? (Yes a hammock is very important) Will I  be happy when my hair finally grows to a desired length ? Lol.

I remember meeting this lady this past school year on campus ,and she spoke to me about how important it was to change my perspective . She said I can’t always change my situation but I can ALWAYS change my perspective. For example ,  the other day I was washing dishes ,(I hate washing dishes by the way ) but as I was ANNOYINGLY washing them I then realized that the dish washing soap was called “JOY” .  I was like ,”ughh  okay God I get it I guess ill find joy in washing dishes”.  But then I remembered/ tried to change my perspective and realized I’m not only doing this for myself I’m also doing this for my mother. If she comes home to a sink free from dishes she can have a bit more time to relax even though she never does. Whenever I think of how I wish i was somewhere else , or how I wish I didn’t have certain responsibilities ,and how my sister annoys me at times . I try to change my perspective and realize that I won’t be living at home forever and this is where I need to be right now and one day I’ll actually move away and might not be so close to home . So i’ll just enjoy this time being home , having my little sister acting like I’m her mother and always being around my mother telling me to clean up and always reminding me that I have to be tidy and clean or ,”No man will want to marry me because no one likes messy girls”. Thanks mom !! *sarcasm*

But in conclusion , JOY comes from delighting myself in the lord. And reminding myself that he’s always in control regardless of where I’m at in life.  “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose for them “. Romans 8:28

And there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is temporary  but joy is through every circumstance. And yes all the above moments that I stated previously like graduation , a nice home , a hammock are all nice events that will make me happy. But if I  wait for certain events in life to make me happy then I will never be satisfied. Life is not a bout a serious of events but in being content in whatever season you’re in ( ” Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth 1 timothty 6:6) and in being joyful in every circumstance.”Always be joyful.Never stop praying . Be Thankful in all circumstance , for his is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus ” 1 thessalonians 5:16-18.

Woo !! that’s really hard , I’m really trying to figure that one out !! ( like I’ve said before when I write these blogs I’m also speaking to myself .These are not how to’s these are just my shared experiences)

So yea if your unemployed , or employed and miserable , or lonely or whatever just try to change your perspective. If you’re like me go fold those clothes and wash those dishes that your mother told you to do , as unto the lord . *wipes off forehead*.The most convicting scripture of all time for me besides Mathew 7:21-23 is collosians 3:23 ,” Work willingly at whatever you do , as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” . Ugh not my favorite because I am a little lazy 😞

But God is with you through this very process (not just washing dishes lol but in every circumstance ) so we never have to figure it out all by oursleves (phillipain 4:13)(phillipans 1:6).

Well this is only month 1 of summer so I’m looking forward to see what the rest has in store for me.

Thanks for reading ,

Giselle Parris