It's the Little Things
Y'all, I been thinking again.
I've been thinking about a lot of things. It seems like my brain is overcrowded with thoughts, teeming with ideas. It's been hard to narrow down what I actually want to say here, what words I feel like should be shared. There are plenty of things upstairs in my brain that are sifting around waiting to become ideas with a little bit more substance and a little more time baking in my Brain Oven.
I've been thinking about a lot of things. It seems like my brain is overcrowded with thoughts, teeming with ideas. It's been hard to narrow down what I actually want to say here, what words I feel like should be shared. There are plenty of things upstairs in my brain that are sifting around waiting to become ideas with a little bit more substance and a little more time baking in my Brain Oven.
But let's talk, shall we (or I guess I shall, since this is my blog and I'm the one writing here), about happiness.
I have been thinking about this particular topic probably for my whole life. Recently, I've been thinking about what makes me happy. There are actually quite a lot of things -- I love sunshine-y days, banjos, my mom's sweet pork enchiladas, cheesecake, flannel shirts, swingsets, soft fabric, bright lipstick, pretty dresses.
I love laughter, the sound of my fingers against the keyboard of a computer, Claire de Lune. I love spontaneous dance parties, getting to the end of a really satisfying film or book, and twirling around for no reason. I love being taken by surprise, Harry Potter, and floral prints. I love MoTown music, and anything vintage or historical, and soda from glass bottles, I love to make good food and wear aprons while listening to big band music and combination drugstore/soda shoppes.
I love to hold hands, and I love to go on walks, and I love to touch leaves and plants. I love poppies and Indian paintbrushes and mountains, the smell of them, the cleanness in the air. I love to sing, quietly sometimes, loud others. I love drives and nighttime and heavy darkness and humidity. I love butterflies and paninis and being asked questions.
There are no shortage of things that I love (like, believe me, I could have gone on for several more paragraphs) and all of these things make me happy. But this happiness that I feel as a result of these things is more of a burst than a slow burn, more of a temporary thing than a lasting one.
In conjunction with happiness, I've been thinking about what I'd call "lasting joy", which is a very different feeling than the happiness I feel from these little, and in the grand scheme of things, inconsequential things that I love.
Lasting joy is not necessarily euphoric, although it can be -- I'd classify this kind of happiness, though, as more of a peaceful assurance that life is in the hands of Someone who knows much better than I do. This is a feeling that can actually coexist with tragedy and incredible pain, and comes as the result of faith in Jesus Christ and obedience. Lasting joy is something that I believe comes from acting in accordance with personal beliefs. I believe that God has given us commandments, and so by living these commandments to the best of my ability, I find lasting joy.
That's important, and transcendent, and wonderful. It's been this joy, this hope almost, that has carried me through the hardest experiences of my life. I am so grateful to know that God is faithful, that He keeps his promises, and so my life is taken care of, and so I need not worry about what ifs. That makes my life easier, and at some times makes it endurable.
But that's actually not what I want to talk about. I'm here to talk about the inconsequential things.
Do you think it could be possible that these little things that make us happy, even just for a second, could be more important than we make them out to be?
Because as much as I'd love to feel constantly assured that everything is going to be okay, as much as I would love to exist in a constant state of zen and peace, I find myself, Em Pew the Human Stress Case, to be incapable of such things. I mean, I know, intellectually, that things are going to work out well. I just don't always feel that they will. It's taken me a minute to realize that even the most faithful of us has moments, sometimes days, sometimes years, when fear is stronger than faith, when worries and doubts arise, when we do not feel safe and watched over and looked after. These are times that come to us all, and are nothing to be ashamed of.
So what do we do when the peace we'd like to have is eluding us? For one thing, choose to believe that it will come back in its time. I would love to be able to promise a time frame, but alas, the Big Man doesn't usually tell me that sort of information. However, I have been promised, as have you, that "...God shall wipe away all tears from [our] eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4) His promises are sure, meaning He always keeps them. So just remember that at some time, God will wipe away all your tears. That's big.
For another, remember the little things.
I'm serious. If you're having one of your moments, and then your favorite song comes on in the grocery store, it's actually not pathetic to let that fill your brain and make you happy, for now. It's okay if it doesn't last so long, and it's okay if it's not a deep, monumental, choir-starts-singing-the-Hallelujah-chorus moment, and it's okay if it's something that some people might consider silly. You can appreciate the smallest things, and that's totally allowed. And if that's the only thing getting you through the day, great! As long as you're making it through, whatever method you use is totally awesome. (Really, even if it's just petting every single dog you pass on the street. Keep doing what you do.)
I believe these little moments are God's cameos in our lives. He just slips 'em in there like Stan Lee in a Marvel movie. These little happinesses are strategically placed in our lives to make us smile, 'cause Heavenly Father loves it when we do that. Just like you love to make your loved ones smile. And they are just as valid testaments to His love for us as the huge testimony-building moments we can also have. It's important to celebrate, along with the lasting joy found in Christ, the little moments that carry us between good days, when life can seem bleakest and loneliest.
I want you to know that you have permission to watch that goofy show that most people think is dumb if it makes you happy. You have permission to look for the perfect meme to describe your mood if it makes you happy. You can go to the store and buy paint and a canvas and paint whatever the heck you want if it makes you happy. You can buy yourself flowers. Or a pizza. And it's okay to do that if it's going to give you even a moment of joy. You can listen to Australian accents or doodle flowers and stars or do math for fun if that makes you happy! And those little things that help you have little moments of joy are not stupid or dumb or trivial because they make you happy and YOU ARE AWESOME AND YOU DESERVE IT.
So have some fun today! Jump for joy (unless jumping really wouldn't be the best idea)! Figure out what you can do to make someone else smile. And remember, it's the little things.
I love laughter, the sound of my fingers against the keyboard of a computer, Claire de Lune. I love spontaneous dance parties, getting to the end of a really satisfying film or book, and twirling around for no reason. I love being taken by surprise, Harry Potter, and floral prints. I love MoTown music, and anything vintage or historical, and soda from glass bottles, I love to make good food and wear aprons while listening to big band music and combination drugstore/soda shoppes.
I love to hold hands, and I love to go on walks, and I love to touch leaves and plants. I love poppies and Indian paintbrushes and mountains, the smell of them, the cleanness in the air. I love to sing, quietly sometimes, loud others. I love drives and nighttime and heavy darkness and humidity. I love butterflies and paninis and being asked questions.
There are no shortage of things that I love (like, believe me, I could have gone on for several more paragraphs) and all of these things make me happy. But this happiness that I feel as a result of these things is more of a burst than a slow burn, more of a temporary thing than a lasting one.
In conjunction with happiness, I've been thinking about what I'd call "lasting joy", which is a very different feeling than the happiness I feel from these little, and in the grand scheme of things, inconsequential things that I love.
Lasting joy is not necessarily euphoric, although it can be -- I'd classify this kind of happiness, though, as more of a peaceful assurance that life is in the hands of Someone who knows much better than I do. This is a feeling that can actually coexist with tragedy and incredible pain, and comes as the result of faith in Jesus Christ and obedience. Lasting joy is something that I believe comes from acting in accordance with personal beliefs. I believe that God has given us commandments, and so by living these commandments to the best of my ability, I find lasting joy.
That's important, and transcendent, and wonderful. It's been this joy, this hope almost, that has carried me through the hardest experiences of my life. I am so grateful to know that God is faithful, that He keeps his promises, and so my life is taken care of, and so I need not worry about what ifs. That makes my life easier, and at some times makes it endurable.
But that's actually not what I want to talk about. I'm here to talk about the inconsequential things.
Do you think it could be possible that these little things that make us happy, even just for a second, could be more important than we make them out to be?
Because as much as I'd love to feel constantly assured that everything is going to be okay, as much as I would love to exist in a constant state of zen and peace, I find myself, Em Pew the Human Stress Case, to be incapable of such things. I mean, I know, intellectually, that things are going to work out well. I just don't always feel that they will. It's taken me a minute to realize that even the most faithful of us has moments, sometimes days, sometimes years, when fear is stronger than faith, when worries and doubts arise, when we do not feel safe and watched over and looked after. These are times that come to us all, and are nothing to be ashamed of.
So what do we do when the peace we'd like to have is eluding us? For one thing, choose to believe that it will come back in its time. I would love to be able to promise a time frame, but alas, the Big Man doesn't usually tell me that sort of information. However, I have been promised, as have you, that "...God shall wipe away all tears from [our] eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4) His promises are sure, meaning He always keeps them. So just remember that at some time, God will wipe away all your tears. That's big.
For another, remember the little things.
I'm serious. If you're having one of your moments, and then your favorite song comes on in the grocery store, it's actually not pathetic to let that fill your brain and make you happy, for now. It's okay if it doesn't last so long, and it's okay if it's not a deep, monumental, choir-starts-singing-the-Hallelujah-chorus moment, and it's okay if it's something that some people might consider silly. You can appreciate the smallest things, and that's totally allowed. And if that's the only thing getting you through the day, great! As long as you're making it through, whatever method you use is totally awesome. (Really, even if it's just petting every single dog you pass on the street. Keep doing what you do.)
I believe these little moments are God's cameos in our lives. He just slips 'em in there like Stan Lee in a Marvel movie. These little happinesses are strategically placed in our lives to make us smile, 'cause Heavenly Father loves it when we do that. Just like you love to make your loved ones smile. And they are just as valid testaments to His love for us as the huge testimony-building moments we can also have. It's important to celebrate, along with the lasting joy found in Christ, the little moments that carry us between good days, when life can seem bleakest and loneliest.
I want you to know that you have permission to watch that goofy show that most people think is dumb if it makes you happy. You have permission to look for the perfect meme to describe your mood if it makes you happy. You can go to the store and buy paint and a canvas and paint whatever the heck you want if it makes you happy. You can buy yourself flowers. Or a pizza. And it's okay to do that if it's going to give you even a moment of joy. You can listen to Australian accents or doodle flowers and stars or do math for fun if that makes you happy! And those little things that help you have little moments of joy are not stupid or dumb or trivial because they make you happy and YOU ARE AWESOME AND YOU DESERVE IT.
So have some fun today! Jump for joy (unless jumping really wouldn't be the best idea)! Figure out what you can do to make someone else smile. And remember, it's the little things.
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| Photo by Kelsea Kocherhans Smellie |
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