The Joyful Life Magazine
The Joyful Life Magazine
A quarterly lifestyle print publication for Christian women seeking the JOY found by inviting JESUS into our everyday lives.
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  • This has been a hard couple of weeks. I started a post earlier that just felt lacking in authenticity and instead of pressing on with it, I felt like God was leading me to share a different perspective, a different encouragement — a different word. ⠀ ⠀ THE LIES⠀ ⠀ There are so many things I’m struggling to accept this week. Tomorrow I turn 45 — and it feels like an unwelcome visitor being forced upon me. Not because I feel old — I truly don’t. It’s more because of all the other ways I feel as I look at the looming date on the calendar. ⠀ ⠀ Inadequate.⠀ Unaccomplished. ⠀ Behind. ⠀ Lacking.⠀ Weak.⠀ ⠀ All ways I wouldn’t have expected to feel at 45. I expected to feel at peace, settled in, comfortable, perhaps even a step ahead in the journey of life. ⠀ ⠀ Instead I feel like a girl — still dependent, still striving, still struggling, still running to catch up with life — in a body that often groans its age and with a mind that loses the sunglasses on top of my head with a frequency that honestly shocks me.⠀ ⠀ THE TRUTH⠀ ⠀ Sometimes we need to accept the truth and stop allowing our unmet expectations to rob us of the joy we’ve been given in Christ. ⠀ ⠀ I may be inadequate, but Jesus is more than enough — He is my all.⠀ ⠀ I may be unaccomplished in some areas, but Jesus accomplished salvation on my behalf.⠀ ⠀ I may be behind in this life, but Jesus has gone before me and is preparing a home in His eternal kingdom for me. ⠀ ⠀ I may be lacking in many areas, but Jesus is my gain.⠀ ⠀ I may be weak, but Jesus is my strength. ⠀ ⠀ GRACE⠀ ⠀ So on the eve of the day I will turn 45, my heart’s desire for this year is to accept myself as He accepts me — the beautiful Bride of Christ — holy and blameless, standing firm and confident in the shadow of amazing grace!⠀ ⠀ “He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.” Colossians‬ ‭1:22‬ ‭ESV‬‬⠀ ⠀ Sandi Sutton, @sandisutton⠀ ⠀ ___⠀ ⠀ Tag a friend who needs to be encouraged by the full acceptance we have in Jesus! ❤️
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  • Sometimes we think we are doing a much better job of trusting God than we actually are. If you’re anything like me, maybe you recognize the signs.⠀ ⠀ You ask God for direction and then:⠀ ⠀ -Give him a menu of options to choose from⠀ ⠀ -Run your own plan past Him for his sign off and approval⠀ ⠀ -Say yes to every opportunity that comes your way, hoping you’ll eventually hit the jackpot⠀ ⠀ -Chase after a goal that you believe is your purpose or calling⠀ ⠀ Sound familiar? I confess I have pretty much done all of these things at one time or another. Instead of waiting on God to show me what’s next - in His timing, I’ve chased after career, relationship or personal goals that I *think* are going to bring me a greater sense of purpose, fulfilment or joy. Yet often they’ve left me disappointed, empty, or unfulfilled. It can be hard to fully relinquish control and trust God’s ways over our own. Yet we are told to simply surrender to Him.⠀ ⠀ I love how the Message translates Romans 8:12: ‘Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life - and place it before God as an offering.'⠀ ⠀ What if we gave our time, our energy, our calendars over to God? Would we start to notice more God-appointed, tailor made opportunities that He sprinkles throughout our day. Would we have more flexibility to follow His nudging and take His lead? When we take the focus off of ourselves and what we want, we often start to see the hand of God in our lives - - everywhere we look. ⠀ ⠀ As Lysa TerKeurst ( @lysaterkeurst ) writes in her book ‘Uninvited’: “Though we can’t predict His specific plans, the fact that God will work everything together for good is a completely predictable promise."⠀ ⠀ If we truly trust God with our lives, He will give us a purpose and a role to play in His Kingdom work that is far better than anything we could come up with ourselves. So that rough draft you've made of your future? Give it to Him and let Him turn it into a masterpiece.⠀ ⠀ Vicki Bentley, @purposeful_joy
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  • Today on the blog, Ashley Bartley ( @tendingwild ) shares her very personal journey through postpartum depression and anxiety. Although Ashley’s story is told from the perspective of a mother in the midst of postpartum - it is practical and applicable to any woman who finds herself struggling to pull herself out of the despair that depression and anxiety create.⠀ ⠀ You will be blessed by Ashley’s words as she shares her struggles, as well as her victories, and offers a tremendous amount of hope for anyone in the throes of depression or anxiety.⠀ ⠀ You can read Ashley's post by clicking through to the link in our bio.⠀
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  • Pulling weeds — day after monotonous day — will never rid you of weeds. It’s a futile endeavor.⠀ ⠀ Every weedless moment is only a temporary reprieve — all the while, beneath the appearance of a clean surface, the roots are straining furiously — desperate to burst back through the ground. ⠀ ⠀ Digging deep beneath the roots — although a much more difficult, time consuming, and often painful task — will reward you with the fertile soil necessary to grow a garden.⠀ ⠀ It’s only then that the weeds will truly be restrained, offering you a foundation that’s prime for sowing with intention — and the expectation of a harvest. A harvest of any beautiful thing you wish to plant.⠀ ⠀ Sandi Sutton, @sandisutton ⠀ ⠀ “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭ESV‬‬⠀ ___⠀ ⠀ Come grow with us in our Facebook Community Group! We would love for you to join us as we seek The Joyful Life together! Link in bio.
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  • Recently life caught up with me. An intense period of writing and ministry collided with big changes in our family (meaning EVERYONE needed me!) and my sleep deprived body just didn’t have the reserves to keep pushing through.⠀ ⠀ My body needed rest. It needed to be nourished and cared for.⠀ ⠀ In 1 Kings 19, we encounter Elijah who has just finished an intense period of ministry and intercession. In a deep depression, he runs away from it all telling God he’s had enough; that he can’t do it anymore.⠀ ⠀ He then falls asleep under a tree (which every tired mother says amen to).⠀ ⠀ I am deeply encouraged by what happens next -- God sent an angel to minister to Elijah. This angel doesn’t come to admonish him for giving up or even to try to spur him on with a motivational pep talk about all that God has planned for him. Instead, he provides Elijah with freshly baked bread and water and leaves him to continue sleeping.⠀ ⠀ When the angel returns a second time, he wakes Elijah telling him, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” Elijah did as he was told and was strengthened to continue travelling.⠀ ⠀ Sometimes, the journey is too much for us.⠀ ⠀ We are tired and worn down by all that life asks of us and God wants to meet us in that place of weariness. To minister to us body, mind and spirit and to give us the gift of Himself -- to give us the Bread of Life to sustain us and the refreshing water of the Holy Spirit to replenish and renew us.⠀ ⠀ Precious daughter, where does it all feel too much for you today?⠀ ⠀ Find a moment to pause, to rest, and to nourish your body -- and as you do, remember the meal that God prepared for Elijah. Feed your spirit on the truth of all that Jesus has done for you and drink deep of His Spirit. Let Him make you strong for the journey that you find yourself on.⠀ ⠀ Aimee Walker, @onbecomingesther
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  • Have you joined our Facebook Community Group yet? We would love to have you join us there! Swipe through the images to get a glimpse of what you can expect as a member of our little community! 💛⠀ ⠀ The link to our FB group can be found by clicking through to the link in our bio.
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My Journey Through Postpartum Depression and Anxiety | by Ashley Bartley | The Joyful Life Magazine
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  • 10 min
  • Marriage
  • Motherhood
  • Parenting
  • Spiritual Growth

My Journey Through Postpartum Depression and Anxiety

  • Posted on May 22, 2018May 21, 2018
  • byAshley Bartley
The nurse handed me the clipboard of thick paperwork, the metal clip strategically covering the name of the depression inventory. I knew what it was — this was my third…
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When You Find Yourself in the Wilderness | Christina Painter
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  • 5 min
  • Marriage
  • Spiritual Growth

When You Find Yourself in the Wilderness

  • Posted on April 10, 2018April 9, 2018
  • byChristina Painter
Have you ever been lost? Maybe you didn’t realize you were lost until you were alerted by that dreaded voice coming from the GPS, “recalculating, proceed to route.” I’m not…
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joy is not chosen it is grown
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  • 6 min
  • Joy
  • Marriage
  • Motherhood

Joy is not Chosen, It’s Grown

  • Posted on March 19, 2018May 22, 2018
  • bySandi Sutton
PICTURE PERFECT It was an absolutely beautiful fall morning, my favorite time of the year, and the house was silent…my four boys still sleeping peacefully. The sun was just beginning…
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