Marriage Makeover, The Circle Maker, and Headphones – 3 places I found joy in the chaos this week

Every week I like to take a moment to showcase the moments that brought me the most joy. Sometimes they are awesome activities and other times it’s a sweet moment between the kids. There are always moments that can fill us with joy if we choose to see them with a thankful heart.

It’s been a few weeks since I posted a Joy in Chaos roundup from the previous week. I don’t have much of an excuse other than letting life get the better of me. I put it off each week and focused on other tasks and then would let another week pass without posting. 

Part of my mission here is to show how it is possible to find good even when life gets crazy and that there are wonderful moments each day that we need to be thankful for. I use the excuse that I’m putting away my phone so I don’t have photos to share but I can still tell you about great moments even when I don’t have a picture. 

Now that spring might finally be coming to stay I’m ready to shake off the burden of winter, of dreary days and grumpy attitudes and step into the light of His joy for my life. So lets see where I found Him working in my life over the last week. 

1. 15 Minute Marriage Makeover

We’ve successfully completed week one of 15 Minute Marriage Makeover and while we have a great marriage we fully believe in investing in it to make it better. The first week had us focusing on communication and now in week two we are discussing intentional intimacy and romance so we don’t become roommates. Such vital conversations! You can read more about the book here. 

2. This Quote from The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson is the newest book in my reading pile and I’ve already started copying down quotes in my notebook. This quote is so good! 

The more faith you have the more specific your prayers will be and the more specific your prayers are the more glory God receives… If our prayers aren’t specific, however, God gets robbed of the glory that He deserves because we second guess whether or not He actually answered them. We never know if the answers were the result of specific prayer or general coincidences that would have happened anyway.

Wow! This book is really challenging me to look at the way I pray and be incredibly specific in what I ask for in prayer. Instead of praying for the health of family members I am praying for specific conditions and outcomes. Instead of asking for my kids to grow in their faith I am proclaiming that they develop a thirst for God’s word and the desire to read and learn on their own as much as we do as a family. Instead of asking for this blog to grow I am asking to see specific numbers and milestones that would only be possible because He deems it possible – not numbers I could reach at this point on my own. 

I can’t wait to see what God does with my prayers – whether in a few days, weeks, or years.  

3. Headphones at Target

There is something about these headphones that draw my kids in every week. It could be the bright green color; it could be the keyboard they are connected to, or it could be that they just really like them. Whatever it is these three try them on every week and pretend to bop along to the music inside. They are too cute. 

4. Homemaking with Katy and Katie

I’m loving this new group! So far Katy and I have shared some of our best tips for basic homemaking help but starting today we are diving into 31 Days to an Everyday Clean Home and working on one day each weekday. This book is part of the 2018 Ultimate Homemaking Bundle but you don’t need to buy it to join in. We’d be happy to have anyone join that feels they need some help and accountability in their homemaking. 

Where did you find joy in the chaos this week? What was your favorite part of the week?