Joyful Journey

You may have noticed that under the White Coat Wife heading at the top of my blog it says "Joyful Journey".

That's because choosing to be joyful is one of the hardest things we humans can do. It's so easy to be miserable. It's so easy to be negative. It's so easy to bully; type a few words on a keyboard that can destroy someone's self-esteem in seconds. I think "Joyful Journey" is a perfect description for not only me, but for the countless people who struggle with physical and mental in-capacities. The hard road should be considered joyful - suffering makes us stronger, and for that we should be grateful.

I've recently been dealing with something that has been emotionally and mentally abusive towards my health. Every day is a struggle to choose joy. Yesterday, I cried on the phone about it to my mom. (Isn't it funny how in those moments, all you want is your mom? Mine is 600 miles away, but I know she would hop on a plane the second I needed her. I don't think the longing for a mother's love ever goes away.)

She told me to keep my chin up, that God would have a plan and this was only making me stronger. I have heard those words so many times, and I forget how often they are true. Social media has given us access to eternal "happiness". It's a fake kind of joy that we want our friends to see. We want everyone to think we have our lives put together. We're putting ourselves on a pedestal.

When I hung up with my mom, I turned on the radio and "Trust in You" by Lauren Daigle was playing. That song really touched my heart, like it always does, but this time, in a way that created peace through my whole body.

She says,

"When you don't move the mountains I'm needing you to move

When you don't part the waters I wish I could walk through

When you don't give the answers as I cry out to you

I will trust, I will trust , I will trust in you."

These lyrics are so important because it's a perfect example of choosing joy through a hardship. Trusting God means giving Him all of our anxieties and fears. He is constantly offering us peace, but we constantly choose to be miserable and negative (myself included). My tattoo on my right shoulder is of my favorite verse, Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans for a future and a hope." That verse is all about trusting, and it's something that is incredibly difficult to do.

So my challenge to you is this. Choose the high road. Choose joy. Choose to ignore the negativity and trust that your life is in the hands of the creator. I'm always searching for a reason to be unhappy - a reason to worry about something. That's why I'm beginning to change my thoughts and pursue not only happiness, but joy.

-Taylor

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