Joy Dare

     I was recently introduced to Ann Voskamp's blog (http://www.aholyexperience.com/).  Let me tell you, God has truly gifted this woman and she is using those gifts to glorify him.  She has a book entitled One Thousand Gifts, in which she encourages her readers to find joy in the here and now.

     In her blog, Voskamp has issued a challenge to find one thousand gifts throughout 2012.  In her Joy Dare (http://www.aholyexperience.com/joy-dares/), she has assigned prompts for each day in order to help the participants.  Today's prompt was "3 Gifts Worn."  When I first read this, I was thinking of clothing and I was struggling a little with finding mine.  I mean, I like clothes and all, but I couldn't think of three specific items that brought joy to my life.  Then I saw some of the entries on her Facebook page.  "Oh," I thought, "not worn, as in clothes; but worn, as in threadbare."  It took me a little bit of time, but I thought of two worn items that cause me irritation and one worn item that I never really gave much thought to.  Here is what I came up with...

-The corner of our living room rug

                                        

     We have a large rug in our living room.  Originally purchased to cover the stained carpet underneath, it is now fraying at the corner and is looking...well...worn.  Whenever the frayed corners catch my eye, I start critiquing the rest of my less-than-perfect house.  I want beautiful things in a beautiful home that others marvel at.  Quite honestly, I want people to be impressed when they walk in.  But here's the thing.  Those corners, they're frayed because people do walk into my home.  People use that rug a lot - neighborhood kids that play the Wii, adults who rest their feet there while visiting, dinner guests walking from the door into the dining room.  My beautiful family lays on that rug or walks over it dozens of times a day.  God bless those beautiful frayed corners.  They are an indication of a house full of people, which makes my heart positively sing!

     - Robby's socks 

     If I've told my son once, I've told him approximately 55 million times that if he goes outside, he either needs to wear shoes or go completely barefoot.  In stead, more often than not, he runs around in his socks.  His socks that used to be thick and white are now stained and holey.  The stains are from the grass and dirt he runs through.  The holes are from the trampoline which seems to be the place where good socks go to die.  It aggravates me every time I see him walking through the house with a toe sticking out of a newly worn sock-hole.  Today, I realized that those holes and stains are something to be thanking God for.  My son is healthy.  He has feet that work.  He likes to occasionally turn off the video games and go outside.  Each hole and every stain is evidence of my boy living and playing and doing what kids do.

- The cover of Rob's preaching Bible

     For years, My husband used the same NIV Bible to preach from.  Over time, the black, leather cover started to curl and look really rough in the spot where he holds it every Sunday morning.  He traded in that Bible a short while ago for a new ESV version.  When I thought about his old Bible, this morning, it warmed my heart.  I have a husband who loves the Word.  I have a minister who preaches a sermon from the Bible every Sunday, which is sometimes hard to find these days.  Rob's hands have left a permanent mark on the cover of that Bible, but more importantly what's inside the cover has left an eternal mark on Rob.  Through this, I am exceedingly blessed.

     So, I'm coming a little late to the Joy Dare party, but I'm going to attempt to keep this up for at least a year, starting today.  I'm challenging myself to find thankfulness and joy not only in the obvious, but more importantly in the things that I allow myself to feel grumpy about.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you