“Being nice costs exactly zero dollars”, was the sentiment from a recent conversation on the new Joy99 Podcast, This Lyric, That Truth. (You can listen here) I was talking with Joy who heads up the JoyBus ministry, her actual job is find creative ways to bless and encourage people. You should hear about the time she surprised a family with a brand-new puppy! Anyway, at our Joy99 studios is an entire cabinet full of mugs chock full of candy and other goodies that you can come by and pick up with the idea being you bring them to someone who could use a dose of joy.
We were talking about how anyone really can be a joy spreader, with a joy mug or not, and I started taking this lesson to heart. I started smiling at the first people I encountered when entering a grocery store, instead of my usual head down, eyes averted approach. And people started smiling back! Recently I was in the checkout lane and told the cashier that I loved her asymmetrical haircut and she brightly responded, “I couldn’t decide if I wanted it short or long so I chose both” and we both laughed together. Laughing at the checkout is way more joyful than being grumpy I’m learning. I was a new patient at a dermatologist’s office I hadn’t been to before and they were asking me for all kinds of documents, IDs, and insurance cards. An older woman commented on how they were asking for everything but the kitchen sink and we laughed together about that too. We got into a conversation about how hard it is for her to manage her iPad and so I offered to help with a small thing. Sitting in a doctor’s office actually connecting with someone is way more joyful than sitting alone on my phone.
We’d love for you to check out the new podcast, and maybe you’ll experience a more joy-filled life. Or perhaps learn what it is like to still have joy in chaos and peace that makes no sense (this episode), a topic I discussed with my husband Dave based on Cody Carnes song “Firm Foundation”. A little nugget from that conversation was how we, as Christians, are supposed to be becoming more like Jesus, now I’ll ask myself—Is this how Jesus would respond to being hurt?
A recent episode that is on repeat is ultra-marathon runner Dan Peerbolt on how he is not afraid of pain anymore because it always has something to teach him. We talked about how the Mercy Me song “Say I Wont” has encouraged him with the lyric “I’m seeing my life for the very first time through a different lens. Yesterday I didn’t understand Driving 35 with the rocket inside didn’t know what I had. We talked about how we limit ourselves so much and we, through Christ, can truly accomplish so much more with our own goals and for the kingdom! This episode has changed how we talk to each other in the office. Instead of saying “I’ll never figure it out”, we say, “that was harder than I anticipated”. I’ve started to appreciate the painful times in my life because of what it taught me and how I’ve learned and grown into a better person because of it.
We’ve talked about the importance of reading Gods word daily (listen here), on dealing with anxiety in ourselves and our children (listen here), the importance of showing up and volunteering according to your God-given gifts!
We invite you to listen and we go deeper with longer form conversations that are helping me grow, and I believe will encourage you too. This Lyric, That Truth Podcast.
Ceci