Joy Enhancers

This morning our sermon was all about JOY.

It was great because this week I had a few joy stealers.

Where shall start?  
How about the students who forgot what I taught them only to bite and run the last hour of our trip. This was a  TOTAL joy stealer because we have come so far and have been using OUR WORDS (really we have been). 


My friend's son had a few hard moments in childcare, and this is a TOTAL joy killer for me because I know how hard she is praying and working.  Why can't it just be easy? 
Why can't we as moms put out a full page ad that says 'I KNOW!  WE ARE WORKING ON IT!!!'

My own son had a less than savory NOTE in his planner this week.  
A TOTAL joy killer because DANG it I thought we were past this type of behavior.  
Discipline/ Teaching/ Praying and hit repeat please (and even though I don't smoke, when do I get a cigarette break?  I'm wearing out here.)

Now remember, I'm not talking about Joy KILLERS.   Joy killers are those things on the news that I can't watch without prescription anxiety medications.  
Joy STEALERS are little things that creep up and rob you from appreciating God's gifts.

This morning, I shamelessly prayed that:
a.  my students have a perfect week and that "good" behaviors come easy for them at home and school (and they all throw me a party).
b. that my friend's child has the most spectacular week ever and gets an award for MOST awesome behavior with free doughnuts for a year!!
c.  that Connor never, ever, ever, gets in trouble again and that he turns out to be an award winning young man who thanks his mother for all of her hard work on a BIG public platform (preferably not a wrestling platform but I'll take it).

I admit it,  I prayed for an easy button.. an easy MAGIC button.  I'm guilty.  I'm tired.  I'm guilty and tired.

In that same prayer I was reminded of a few things.  
There was that one time when.... 
....Connor averaged a B in reading after years of struggling but not giving up.  
...when he went to all those ball practices scared and nervous. He gave 100% knowing it would still be very hard.
....a student calmly came to me to tell me another child 'had knocked down his train track'.... (without THROWING a chair).  VICTORY.
....a friend at church hugged me with tears because I was a good friend during a hard time (as if I have something to offer?)
   

Those times were my personal DISNEY WORLD trips.  

Those times were Joy ENHANCERS.  
(More of those times... please.)
No one.  No one can appreciate those type of moments without a prior fight. 
Really, if things came easy, I wouldn't really care about the above very much.  That would be sad for me. 

By afternoon, I changed my prayers to appreciate our Joy Enhancers.  (Forget the easy magic button, it ain't happening.)  
I know in the end, I will have so much more to praise and appreciate if I look for my joy enhancers.

My Joy Enhancers this week:

The Dinosaur Maze

Princess Pumpkins

Matching Mermaid Dress

(we bought cousin A. one too!)

Halloween Doughnuts 

Bubble Baths

My Growing Boy

Swinging in the Cornfield

Inquisitive Minds 

(minus timed testing)

Mrs. D.

New Experiences

Shopping (and texting) with Aunt J.

Making our Own Fashion Statements

Princess Birthday Cake

Naps

Little Converse

New Adventures

A Dear Friend 

and Partner in Crime

Father and Son Trips

Old Friends

(minus the writing test)

The Pumpkin Patch

Beauty

^{Ephesians 4: 30} And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.