Nothing Can Take Away Our Joy

A mom shares the lessons she learned when many things in her day tried to take away her joy

It was one of those days. I tried to remain calm, creative, and upbeat…and for the most part, I succeeded. There were several scenarios that nearly took away my joy—but they didn't.

I was up most of the night with my young son who wasn't feeling great, and I was very tired; our contractor unexpectedly needed my help fixing the kitchen faucet; and to top it off, a small, but critical metal piece went missing from my toddler's car seat when I took it apart to wash the cover and straps.

I knew my son would be healed: "Bless the Lord…who heals all your diseases" (Ps 103:2, 3). So that didn't really bother me. I wasn't even phased by the comment from our contractor saying he'd have to cut the faucet and buy a new one after all the time and work we spent to no avail trying to take it out. I knew that "with God all things are possible" (Matt 19:26). And he came up with a solution that kept our faucet intact.

It was the fruitlessness of my search on and off all day for that metal car seat piece that was gnawing away at my happiness and calm. When my mom stopped by near dinner-time—already aware of the days' mishaps, prayed up, and ready to help me look—she asked, "Are you going to let a little piece of metal take away your God-given joy?" I had been telling myself all day, "Your joy no man taketh from you" (John 16:22). I had even mused to myself that the Bible verse needed to say that "no missing metal car seat piece" could take away my joy.

I showed my mom what the missing part looked like on another car seat we owned. Bingo! I ran straight to the pulled-apart car seat. There, attached to a different strap, was the metal piece. It had been there all along. I could have felt foolish, embarrassed, and upset over my preoccupation with finding a piece of metal that had never been lost—and nearly giving into frustration.

Instead, I felt grateful—grateful I hadn't really lost the piece; grateful for the people who helped me search for it throughout the day; grateful for the opportunity to learn a few lessons over again. 1) There's always an answer, even if it seems impossible. 2) Nothing that we ever need is lost. 3) There's no reason to let something take away our joy, no matter how big or small. The results: my son was feeling better; the faucet would be permanently fixed; and the car seat was usable again.

I have always loved the words Jesus' gives the Father in his parable of the prodigal son: "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine" (Luke 15:31). That's a promise for all of us. God's guidance—His love—is unceasing. Throughout the twists and turns of each day's adventure, all we have to do is trust.

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