Find Your Joy

This week I made it to my happy place in the Florida Keys after a detour to the Great White North. I accepted an invitation from my Uncle Tim to attend a Joy Retreat at Lake Huron Retreat Center in January. Enticed by the lure of a weekend with my aunt and uncle at a retreat aptly named for me, I went despite the forecast for snow and sub-zero temperatures. As soon as I saw the waves of the lake, an unexplained joy washed over me.

At the retreat, I bonded with twelve volunteer staff members and eighteen participants seeking joy. We worked through grief and pain, learning to identify circumstances Tim called “joy blockers.” Determining what keeps us from a joy-filled life is half the battle. The other half, I believe, is trusting God. (Trust is my word for the year.)

Participants openly shared their grief, their pain. Often, the very ones who should have been showering them with love caused them physical and emotional pain beyond measure. Yet, in all our pain, we were there for each other. Supporting. Loving. Trusting. Finding joy.

By the end of the weekend, the lake (pictured above) froze solid and had such a deep snow covering that it looked like an open field. Like the lake, God blanketed our pain. For now, our stories remain at Lake Huron, covered and frozen in time, so we can step forward into joy-filled lives. We know, like the lake freezes and thaws, grief and pain sometimes resurface. But with techniques and support, we can better withstand the waves.

This weekend reminded me that joy is not the absence of pain. It’s trusting God with it. So, if your life feels frozen right now, if the waves have stopped and everything feels heavy, trust him. Trust that God is at work beneath the surface, even when you can’t see it. The road to joy may have detours and pain, but through it all, trust that you will find your joy.

Thanks for being a part of this journey!

If you enjoyed reading this blog, I’d love your support in growing this community! Please share this with your friends, family, or anyone who might find it interesting. Your shares help me reach more people to help them find their joy.

Joy M. Walker