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Hi Friends!
I know that you always hear a lot of joy in my voice which is very much authentic and a huge part of who I truly am. But I also want you to know that even genuinely joy-filled people can get in a funk sometimes. And friend, I’ve personally been in a little bit of a funk lately. There’s just been a handful of things going on over here.
One random thing that happened was my husband actually got hacked on Facebook, like his personal Facebook account got hacked. And it was like a domino effect that affected several other things as far as our business pages. In fact, the Katie Hedrick Life Coaching page that many of you follow was a part of that and so I have been locked out of that page. You may have noticed me not posting over there so I just wanted to point that out. If you’ve been trying to get a hold of me through messenger through that page, I’m not able to see it! If you need to get a hold of me for any reason with inquiries or questions, feel free to send me an email at katie@katiehedrick.com. That’s the best way to get a hold of me, especially right now with all of that going on.
Along with that, many of you know if you’ve been following that we built a house and moved recently. We’re still unpacking, we’re most of the way there, but we still have some things to put away. So, we’ve just kind of been tackling all of that along with summer and summer camps with the kids and all the things, just feeling kind of like busy when it’s supposed to be this summer season of relaxation, right? So, it’s just all these things combined have got me in a little bit of a funk. Nothing bad, nothing serious. Just feeling like there’s a lot on my plate at the moment.
But here’s the thing, and I really want to start with this. Joy is deep-rooted in genuinely joy-filled people. Everything can be not okay yet, there can still be more to a joy-filled person. So, if you’re listening to the podcast right now and you’re hearing joy in my voice, even in the midst of all these things on my plate, I want you to know it’s authentic. It’s not fake. I am not this fake it till you make it person. It’s truly who I am. Do I have off days? Yes. Do I have tough days? Yes. Do I have days where I yell at my husband or my kids and feel super guilty and have to repent and ask for forgiveness? Heck to the yes. But there can still be joy because joy is deep-rooted. It’s not this surface thing. It’s not like happiness. That’s this fleeting, come and go sort of a choice. Joy is who we are in our inner being, deep down in our innermost parts. So, whether you feel yourself today in the midst of true joy, in the midst of blessing and celebration, in the midst of things going right… or whether you’re feeling like you lack joy today and you’re dying to know what these four secrets of joy-filled people are, I just want you to know that it’s okay. Wherever you are right now, however you are right now, it’s okay. I see you. I’m with you. And I have a deep down inkling that you might just relate to all or part of what I have to share here today and that it just might help you in some way. That’s what I’m all about. So, let’s dive in.
#1: Look for the Good
Secret number one of genuinely joy-filled people is that they look for the good. Here’s the thing, friend, you will find what you are looking for. For example, we tend to purchase white vehicles and we’ve just traded in on a white expedition for a new family rig. Have you ever purchased a new vehicle and then all of a sudden you start noticing that vehicle? For us with the white expedition, we start looking around looking for white expeditions and noticing and finding white expeditions everywhere, all over the road, at every rest area, every gas station in town, heck, even out on the gravel roads where we live. Have you ever noticed that when you buy a new vehicle, you start noticing it, looking for it, and finding it everywhere? It’s because you’ll find what you’re looking for. And joy-filled people know that so they know that if they look for the good, they will find the good.
Here’s an example or a story and illustration that might really drive this home for you and help you with this concept. And I’ve shared this here on the podcast before several times but it’s such a good story that it’s definitely worth sharing it again. It’s my slug story. So, when I was 19, I moved into this basement apartment. It was perfect for that season of my life. It wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t great, it just accommodated my needs at the time. So, it was all good and everything was fine. However, there was one major problem with this basement apartment. I noticed one day there was this giant slimy and creepy slug. Yes, you read that right, a slug crawling across the floor. And I remember it kind of freaked me out and what happened was I began finding more and more slugs in this basement apartment. I began finding them on the carpet, in the bathroom, on the walls, on the ceiling in my bedroom. And the more I was looking for these slugs, the more I was finding them because I was finding exactly what I was looking for.
And so needless to say, I only lived in that basement apartment for about three months before moving out, but it taught me this really important life lesson, this secret that joy-filled people know about which is that you’ll find what you’re looking for. So, genuinely joy-filled people look for the good in each and every situation.
#2: Each Season in Life Holds Either a Blessing or a Lesson
Secret number two that joy-filled people know is that each season in life holds either a blessing or a lesson. You see friends, life is cyclic. And there’s this phenomenon, this cycle that happens over and over and over again. I call it the Mount Blessing objective. And you can actually go back to the episode right before this and you can hear me deep dive in great detail all about the Mount Blessing objective. It’s also in my Faith Fueled Breakthrough study. You can check that out at FaithFueledBreakthrough.com. But the short version of the Mount Blessing objective is that it’s the cycle that we go through in life and it has four parts.
The first park is the peak or the mountain top of Mount blessing. So, this is where the blessings are flowing. We’re saying things like I’m so #blessed. And then there is the plateau, otherwise known as the comfort zone, which is the most dangerous place we can possibly be in this cycle because it inevitably leads to the next part, which is the valley. Sometimes it’s this deep, deep valley where we find ourselves maybe hurting, maybe scared, maybe confused, sometimes frantic, sometimes looking around and blaming other people until we take some personal responsibility, hit our knees, and look up. That’s when the Lord really speaks into our life and shows us new and amazing things. And then we find ourselves in the fourth part of this cycle. It’s the most incredible part of the cycle and I call it the hill of growth which is where we’re teachable with a hungry heart. This is where we open our eyes, ears, hearts and minds to what the Lord wants to teach us and show us, and we began to listen to His whispers and His wisdom. And we began to grow as we climb the hill of growth. People talk about being either on the hilltop or in the valley, but the Lord showed me that there’s more. It’s not just the hill or the valley. There’s more to it. So be sure to look into that because it’s truly incredible and truly worth studying.
So, each season, each part of this cycle, holds either a blessing or a lesson. And let me tell you, three out of the four parts of that cycle in the Mount Blessing objective typically hold a lesson. Which is good because that’s where and how we learn and grow and lean into the Lord’s wisdom. So, genuinely joy-filled people know that every season that we’re walking through, it holds either a blessing or a lesson and they also know that the key is that no matter what part of the cycle they’re in, they ask the question, what is the wisdom in this? What is the Lord trying to show me or teach me within this season, within this part of the cycle?
#3: Focusing on Solutions Rather than Problems and Taking Accountability
Focusing on solutions rather than problems and taking accountability is the third secret of genuinely joy-filled people. To kind-of illustrate this, I want to take a look at Matthew 14:22-32. It says:
“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’
‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’
‘Come,’ he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
There are so many life lessons in this passage. We can talk about faith, we can talk about doubt, but the thing that I really want to talk about is how Peter began to focus on the problem. The problem, meaning the storm and the fear going on around him. Notice when he took his eyes off the problem solver, when he took his eyes off the solution, when he took his eyes off Jesus and he began to focus on the problem, he began to sink.
Genuinely joy-filled people understand that it’s powerful to focus on the solutions and the problem solver instead of focusing on the problems, and then to take it even a step further. Joy-filled people take personal responsibility for their part in the whole situation. And I think that there are so many things that we can take away from that personal responsibility. It’s a secret of life. It’s not just a secret of joy-filled people. A huge key to living a joy-filled life is taking personal responsibility and understanding that we are the only person truly responsible for us. At the end of the day, everyone is going to be held accountable for their own actions, their own choices, the things that they did and said and thought and the things that they focused on. Are we focusing on the solution or the problem? Are we focused on the solution giver, the problem solver, or are we focused on fear and worry and doubt and anxiety and unforgiveness and all these problem causing things?
I want to encourage you today, sweet friend, to shift your focus and begin to focus on solutions instead of problems. And to begin to take personal responsibility for your part in it and for your next step forward. And then for taking action on your next steps forward. There will be so much more joy in your life if you’ll shift your focus from problems to solutions.
#4: Fix Your Eyes Forward Instead of Backwards
Okay, secret number four in genuinely joy-filled people is that they fix their eyes forward instead of backwards. This kind of goes hand in hand with the last one that we just talked about. And I want to share with you another illustration that I’ve shared here on the podcast before. And it’s this illustration of your rearview mirror.
I want you to think for just a second that you’re on the interstate and you’re driving your car at a really high rate of speed. Let’s say you’re going 80 miles an hour. And you’re looking out your front windshield at where you’re going. Then, you begin to shift your gaze towards your rearview mirror, like you’re not just checking for what’s behind you, but you begin to lock your gaze on your rearview mirror and you’re driving at 80 miles an hour. What do you think the next thing that’s going to happen is going to be as your eyes are fixated behind you, rather than in front of you?
Friend, you’re sure to crash the car. And genuinely joy-filled people understand that they need to fix their eyes forward, rather than behind them. There’s a reason that your front windshield is so much bigger than your rearview mirror. It’s okay to glance at that thing. It’s okay. In fact, it’s a good idea to look back, reflect, learn and grow from your past but friend, let’s fix our eyes forward on our front windshield.
Nothing drives me crazier than when people say, “Those were the good old days.” No, friend. Let me just speak this truth if your life right now… Your best days are yet to come. Your best days are in front of you. They’re not behind you. So let me encourage you to look forward!
I hope that you begin to implement one or two or even all four of those secrets into your life. If you do, I promise you, your life is going to change for the better. You are going to step into true joy which you know, we’re all about that here.
My Prayer for You
As we come to a close, there’s something on my heart that I just want to share with you and I kind of alluded to it at the beginning of the episode. But I just want to remind you and let you know that genuinely joy-filled people know that there will be some moments and days where you just feel in a funk. And it’s okay to not be okay sometimes. I just encourage you not to stay there, but instead, to keep taking those small steps forward.
Recently, I was talking to the Lord, just quiet silent prayer and I said to Him.. I feel like I’ve lost touch recently with my priorities and even with myself, like I almost feel like I’ve lost myself. You know, since we moved, it’s honestly kind of shifted our routine and then summer came along and it just feels like a whirlwind. And I feel like I’ve lost touch with my priorities and myself, like where do I even start to pick things back up and get back on track? And the Lord, who is so faithful to whisper to my heart, I heard Him just speaking and He said, “Start with me. Start with me, and everything else will follow.” And then He reminded me of these scriptures:
Psalm 30:11
“You’ve turned my sorrow into dancing. You’ve removed my sackcloth and you’ve covered me with joy.”
Psalm 30:5
“Joy comes in the morning.”
This goes hand in hand with what I was saying that joy-filled people know that sometimes it’s going to feel like things are not okay. But we understand that joy comes in the morning. Tomorrow is a new day and the Lord will never leave us. He is always by our side and joy comes again in the morning.
Nehemiah 8:10
“The joy of the Lord is my strength.”
Because friend, you see, joy ultimately begins with and is sustained by the Lord. Our strength comes from Him. And deep-rooted joy comes from Him. All these other things, these four secrets that I shared today, are just icing on the cake, but genuine, deep-rooted joy begins with, comes from, and is sustained by the Lord.
The prayer on my heart for you today is that God would just meet you where you are, and that He would allow your heart to be soft and that you would have ears to hear and eyes to see the message that He put in my mouth for you today. And that all of this would just sink into your heart and your soul and your mind and that you would feel a new or a renewed sense of joy and peace today. And that you would know that it is absolutely the Holy Spirit washing over you, in you, around you, with you. The Lord is so good and faithful to meet you where you are and to cover you with His love and His grace and His joy.
