Do you remember when you were young and there was a big event on the horizon?  Perhaps it was going to visit your grandparents, taking a vacation by car with your family or it was waiting for FOREVER for Christmas to come.  Do you remember the tummy-turning excitement of anticipation?  Do you remember how that anticipated joy filled your mind and made the wait excruciatingly slow?  Have you felt much anticipation lately, or do you simply turn the page of the calendar to see what obligations you have to fulfill next?

When you were young, your schedule probably wasn't very crowded.  If you're around my age (48), your parents didn't have you enrolled in too many activities like the children of today often are.  I played varsity sports in high school.  In the "olden days" we didn't play a single sport all year around, we played the sport of the season and then went to the next sport or rested.  I also played flute in the band.  Between those two activities and keeping up with my homework that pretty much summed up my life!

Do you dread turning over the pages on your calendar or do you have a sense of anticipation and excitement at what's to come?  The answer to that one question can probably tell you more about where you are in leading a balanced or overcrowded life than almost any other.  I'm going to surprise you here and recommend that you add to that schedule before you subtract from it!

Do you have any activities that you really look forward to, think of in advance and enjoy anticipating?  Is there anything you do purely for fun?  Is there any activity that literally gets you through each week when you anticipate it?  It could be something as silly and fun as a Bunco night, or as beneficial as a women's bible study care group.  It could be taking a ceramics class at your local college or an exercise class at your local health club.  If you don't, I'd like to suggest that you find one special activity and invest some time in nurturing your own soul a little each week.  Even the busiest schedule needs to make room for joyful living… not just doing life.

Sometimes simplifying life doesn't just mean getting rid of things or activities, it also means living intentionally and joyfully.  Try adding in something that you enjoy, something that helps to refresh you and give you the energy boost needed to get through the rest of your obligations.  Some of us aren't very good at taking care of "us" because we're too busy taking care of everyone else in our lives, but we'll take care of them best when we are rested, encouraged and refreshed. 

Lord, help me to find some ways to bring joy back into my life.  Your word says that, "The joy of the Lord is my strength."  Perhaps I need to add one or two more joyful things in my life to give me the strength for the rest of my obligations.  Open my eyes to this truth and help me to embrace it.  Show me how to restore my joy and renew my strength.  And most of all Lord show me how to bring back the childish joy of anticipation into my days!  Amen