Joy, where did I leave it?

It’s as easy to lose one’s joy as it is to lose a sock, a set of keys, an overdue library book.

After a weekend containing several celebrations a friend told me she had found the source of her joy again – in music making. ‘I hadn’t exactly lost it,’ she said, ‘just mislaid it and forgotten where to look to find it again.’

Her comment prompted me to go looking. Where did I leave my joy? When was the last time I saw it? At which moment of anxiety did I put it down and turn away?

I’m grateful for a verse in Scripture that tells me the Holy Spirit will teach and remind me of all the things that Jesus has spoken to me (John 14:26). 

My friend went back to her source and found joy again in music-making. I think I’ll go looking in my boxes of scrapbooking gear, or sift through some words that need crafting, or call on a too-long-since-seen friend and make a plan for coffee together.

If you’ve misplaced your joy, where would you start looking for it?

By Barbara Simpson