The Key Word is 'Find'

I have been struck many times over the years by the simple fact that life is hard. Sometimes I internally kick and scream at the injustice of it all (why does it have to be so hard, after all?) and sometimes I just accept it for what it is, resigned to plod along with my head down in an effort to not give up. But when the idea of enduring to the end joyfully was suggested to me a few years back in an LDS general conference, I was forced to re-think things. Apparently, it is not enough just to endure life; rather, we are expected to endure it joyfully.

This past Christmas I was given a decorative tile that displays the words, "Find Joy in the Journey." When I received the gift, I thought it was odd that the word 'Find' was the largest word of the quote. I figured that whoever had designed it hadn't been thinking things through properly. Obviously the words 'Joy' and 'Journey' were the most important, right? The word 'Find' was just a lead-in to the main idea of the quote.

Over the past few days, however, I have come to realize the significance of the word 'Find' in the quote I see every day on my counter. It's an important word because it's extremely difficult to do. Finding joy in the journey takes a whole lot of work. Our journeys don't always seem joyful, and it's not usually easy to recognize the joyful bits amongst the overwhelming percentage of horrible, or even just mediocre, bits. Even if the joy is there, you have to put forth the effort to see and appreciate it.

As a mom, it is so easy to see how many things I did not accomplish at the end of each day, while still registering the fact that I am completely physically spent. How is it possible that I was moving all day and didn't accomplish anything other than feeding my kids and keeping them from killing either themselves (in Caboose's case) or each other (in Bright and Plucky's case). How am I supposed to look back at a day like that and find joy in it?

I suppose the answer is that some days, I'm not. There will be days that are not joyful and so many moments that are not sublime. But it's so very important to resist the temptation to put your head down and plod along without looking up. Because it's only when you are holding your head up and paying attention that you will be able to recognize the joyful moments when they come and therefore find joy in the journey.

Therefore, this week I will renew my efforts to lift up my head and search for the joy in each day. And more importantly, when I find it, I will let the other bits of the day fade into the background so that Joy can become my main focus.