Finding Joy in the Everyday

“Oh, I just love fall!” I said with a happy sigh, staring out the window at the falling leaves.

In a high-pitched voice, one of my kids said, “I love fall!” and another one followed suit, “And winter, when the snow falls, I love winter!” and the third chimed in, right on cue, “And isn’t spring just wonderful?” 

To put the icing on the cake, my husband called from the living room, “I also love summer, and the ocean, and forests, and dinner, and this lamp, and our house!” 

My family loves to lovingly mock my love of everything, and, if I’m being honest . . . I love it.

It means that they’ve noticed how often I’m reminded of the beauty and goodness in the world, all of which are gifts of abundant love from the Creator of the universe. My “I love . . . ” statements are little thank you notes of gratitude back to God for the joy of being, even in the most mundane of things.

In his little book, The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence instructs his readers to seek and find the presence of God in every task, because every moment is an opportunity to acknowledge that God is with us, that God is good, that God made a good creation, and that everything in creation is a gift.

I certainly haven’t always been this bright eyed and annoyingly joyful about doing the dishes or making dinner or folding laundry. Laundry is probably the task I resent the most. 

Wash the clothes, dry the clothes, match the socks, stash the unmatched socks with the irrational hope the lost one will turn up like the prodigal son, fold the clothes, argue with the children about putting the clothes away, wear the clothes, sort through the unmatched socks in vain, and wash the clothes all over again.

What misery!

But underneath every mundane task there is a purpose that is rooted in love, and when I can find the taproot of love, those household chores become the fruit of joy. When I find the “why” for the work I am doing, whatever work it is I’m doing, it is fueled with purpose and meaning.

Why do we do our family’s laundry? Is it out of obligation? Is it because we have to? Or could it be because we love our people, and we want to give them the gift of clean clothes and the security to know they won’t be teased by children at school for wearing smelly socks? Okay, so they will probably wear smelly socks anyway, now that they’re teenagers, but at least we tried, out of love, to serve and care for our people. Also, thank God we have washing machines and dryers now! Imagine the hours down by the river. Imagine the calluses and pruney fingers from hand washing clothes on washboards and in sinks. What an age we live in! What a gift!

I’m not kidding!

In psychologist Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart, Brown makes a link between gratitude and joy. According to her research, the more we practice the habit of gratitude, the greater and more frequent is our experience of joy. And the more joy we experience, the more grateful we tend to be. The two just keep building on each other, like a giant Jenga tower that can’t possibly collapse because instead of drawing from the bottom of the stack, the pieces just keep multiplying the more joy and gratitude you pile up.

This practice of gratitude in the midst of mundane circumstances isn’t just something recently invented. Paul wrote, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV). The words “joy,” “grace,” and “rejoice” all share the same Greek root word, xár-. They are all part of the same family of words. You could think of “rejoicing” as being in the joy of the Lord, or living in the grace of God. 

This passage in 1 Thessalonians is a perfect example of that Jenga tower of gratitude and joy Brown talks about! Be in the grace of God, be in communion with God, and be grateful for what God has given you: these three practices build layer upon layer of delight in our lives.

We can incorporate these practices into every mundane moment, from cooking a meal for our family (lovingly prepared for the nourishment of their bodies, given to us sacrificially by the fruits of the earth and some creature God made) to brushing our teeth before bed (joyfully remembering that we didn’t have to have strong teeth and taste buds that can distinguish between 100,000 different flavors—praise God!).

All I have to do is see beneath, between, in, and through that task to the heart of God in every single chore, pleasure, and breath. The more you look for God in those moments, the more you will find God in every moment.

I just love what the Lord has done for us! Say it with me, kids!

—Written by Sarah Wells. Used by permission from the author.