Usually joy comes pretty easily to me. My go-to passage in the Bible mentions it twice. But then 2020 came along, and I had to put much more thought and effort into being joyful. 

See, I kept looking ahead and thinking joy would come as soon as I got what I wanted. Once we got through safer-at-home, then I’d be fine. But that got extended. Instead, I hoped the kids could do track or the mission trip or the sports camps. Nope. Nope. Nope. Okay, joy would come as long as my oldest could do her study abroad. (You might guess how that one turned out.) Well, I would be fine as long as school started in person and fall sports could happen. (That one did get a yes, with a bunch of caveats!) 

I’m not sure when it happened, but finally the Holy Spirit reminded me that “this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 ESV). I was so busy looking forward that I was forgetting to look right in front of me. 

What’s your “I’ll be joyful when . . .”? Is it finishing the house project? Is it when the promotion takes place? Is it finally getting pregnant? Maybe it’s something else.

I think we all need the reminder that today is the day the Lord has made. Tomorrow will be the day the Lord has made too, but this is the day to rejoice and be glad.