The 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 5: "I Have No Greater Joy"

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." --3 John 1:4

Usually I end my blog posts with a Bible verse, but today, it seemed more fitting to start with one. And the verse above is not just any verse that ties in with my post today, but it is one of my very favorite verses. When people ask me, "What is your favorite Bible verse?" I answer with 3 John 1:4, even though I have countless others that rank as my favorite. This is because I love waking up in the morning, and perhaps feeling awful about what might be in the day to come, but 3 John 1:4 reminds me that whatever happens, God loves me, and His favorite thing is to see me live the day for Him, walking with Him, in the truth.

Prompt: What are the 5 things that make you happiest?

Spending time with the Lord

Even though I have lived several days where I refused to do so much as sitting down for five minutes and praying, it is the days where I choose to say, "I'm going to live this day for God" that keep me joyful.

Beautiful Pictures/Experiences

I don't know what it is, but whether it's a picture of the sun coming through the trees, or a fence stained by a rainstorm, or perfectly green grass with budding flowers, I feel really happy. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be a picture, it could even be an experience, like seeing my brother kick a goal at an outdoor soccer game on a spring day or watching my dog try to catch a butterfly. Maybe that's my version of Maria's "whiskers on kittens" and "warm woolen mittens." (The Sound of Music)

Friends & Family

Nothing puts a smile on my face quicker than to put me in a room with the people that I care most about. Every week, I always have something to be grateful for, because my friends and family are always there to help me grow in the Lord and rejoice in His world.

Stories

When I was really little and didn't know how to write, I drew pictures. I used to draw ladybugs, trees, pictures of my favorite movies (one of my favorites is a picture of Boo and Sully from Monster's Inc.), and Bible stories (I have a picture of Moses as a baby on the river that I still vaguely remember drawing). My parents would give me little drawing books and stacks of copy paper for Christmas, because I refused to draw on both sides of the paper. I think the reason I did that was because to me, every piece of paper was a canvas, and an artist never uses both sides. As I grew older, I learned how to write, and I realized that all I ever wanted to do was to tell great stories, whether it was through drawing or writing. So even now, I still get a smile on my face when I hear the story of baby Moses on the river, or watch Monster's Inc., or read a great book like Pride and Prejudice, because I have always loved wonderful stories.

Comfort

I was going through my closet last week in order to organize my school clothes for the fall, and I could not believe how many sweaters I had, but the hardest part was to get rid of some of them. I think that's because each sweater had its own unique kind of comfort. Or sometimes in the winter, our family will have just got home from school and work, and we're freezing cold, but when we walk through the door, my dad has on the stove a humongous pot full of soup. And when I feel sad, I'll wear a sweater, sweatpants, and maybe some fuzzy socks or a pair of slippers, perhaps make a cup of tea, find somewhere peaceful and quiet in the house to pray, and think. Some people do similar things like that but won't admit it in fear that they seem vulnerable or pathetic, but really, we're all human beings, and we all find rest and happiness in something when it seems like joy isn't around. That's what I like about comfort. It leads the way to God when it seems like everything is messed up and joyless.

Questions for the Reader: What are your favorite things? What makes you happiest?