Grow Joy, Mama

Tonight we will talk about the opportunities we have as Mamas to grow joy in our families. We will also talk about where our own joy comes from. 

Transcript

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Good evening, mamas, and welcome back to Midlight, your light in the middle of the night. Tonight I want to talk to you about the concept of growing joy. I was recently visiting with my neighbor, and she has beautiful flowers and a beautiful yard, and she was sharing with me about this flower that she got from a place called Grow Joy. As soon as I heard her say the name, I was captivated because I thought that is exactly what the Lord wants us to do as mamas. He wants us to grow joy in our families. And I was thinking about how we would grow joy in our homes. And I was thinking about the calling that God has given us in our lives and what he says in his word to us about how to have the fruit that he wants us to have in our lives. And according to Galatians 5 and verse 22, the fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. And I was thinking tonight particularly about joy and that fruit that I want to bear in this home with these beautiful people that God has entrusted to me. And I found a verse that I feel is so fitting for tonight with this concept of growing joy. It is from John 15, four through five, and it says, Remain in me and I in you, just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine. Neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches, the one who remains in me, and I in him produces much fruit because you can do nothing without me. That is so good. I am so thankful for the reminder that the Lord gives us tonight that in order for us to produce the fruit, we cannot do it on our own. We need the Lord's help because it tells us in his word right here that he is the vine and we are the branches and the one who remains in him, and he in us produces much fruit. That is how we grow joy in our homes. We abide in the Lord, and we allow ourselves to be connected to the vine, which is the Lord, and in so doing we receive the nourishment that we need to produce the fruit of joy and love and faithfulness and gentleness and all of the fruits for our families, and our little ones need that from us. Whether it's fair or not, we are the thermostats of our home. Our families look to us to see what the climate of this house is, and they find it in whether we have the joy or not. If we are joyful and we are light, so are they. But if we are heavy, laden, and we are frustrated and worn down, it affects them greatly. Whether it's our children or our spouses, we affect the climate of our homes, and we set an atmosphere of grace and joy and love for those who are in our care. So, Mamas, it's very important that we allow ourselves to stay connected to the vine so that we receive what we need in order to give our families what they need. And I've been thinking about the practicality of this, and I've been thinking about how we are the ones that can decide how to make life joyful and beautiful, and I think it can be done in simple ways. I think we can turn on music that we enjoy. I think we can put beautiful things around us in our home. We can use good dishes once in a while, we can light candles, we can take something and make it beautiful. In fact, I found this poem that I thought was so beautiful, and it says, Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her love, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. I think that is so precious because we forget about the joyful presence of a woman and the joyful presence as a mother and how it impacts our families so greatly. The other thing I wanted to say is that it's okay to do things in doable ways. You may not get everything done in a day that you were hoping for, but you can do the doable things. You can wash the dishes up, you could wipe down the counters, you can spend a few minutes putting on something you love to wear, and maybe even doing your hair in the way that you love. Sometimes I reward myself with the coffee. In fact, today I went to a favorite place, a little plant store in town, named Jubilee, and I had myself the most amazing cup of coffee ever. It's good to find the joy in the dailies. It's good to find things that bring life to our bones. I know that I just love spending time with the Lord and reading his word, talking to you, mamas, and praying. Find the thing that brings you joy. I have a friend who loves puzzles, and she loves to work on her puzzles while listening to an audiobook. You see, she is a mama with two little ones, but she hasn't forgotten the things that she herself enjoys. Mamas, I encourage you to find the things that spark the joy in you and enjoy them as you, mother. There is a verse in Proverbs, and it's found in chapter 14 and verse 1, and it says, The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her own hands. I never want to pull down my house with my own hands. I want to continue to build up my house. I want to create an atmosphere of joy in my home, and I hope that you do too. And I will be praying for you, mama, that God will remind you of the very things that He has put in your heart and the fruit that you have because you are His and you are connected to the vine, which is Him. And He has built you to enjoy things, to laugh, to smile, to dance, to just take care of your babies with joy in your heart. He does not expect you to do this and be miserable. He gives you this life because He wants it to be lived to the fullest. And Mamas, we get to demonstrate that to our babies. How blessed are we. So tonight, Mamas, I want to leave you with a blessing from Numbers 6, 24 through 26. May the Lord bless you and keep you, make his face to shine upon you, be gracious unto you, and give you peace. Amen. Until next time, mamas, remember to grow joy and stay connected to the vine which is the Lord. We'll talk again soon. Take care.