One of my husband’s favorite things was to get our daughter out of her crib in the morning. Have you ever gotten a little kid out of bed in the morning? They are so super excited to see you and just plain excited for a new day. I’m sure we all wake up every morning so super excited and happy for a new day.

Um...well, most days. Ok, well, maybe sometimes. Wouldn’t it be great to have the enthusiasm of a 1-year-old everyday?

It can be hard, I know, but we should meet everyday full of joy and happiness. We should wake up every morning and say, “This will be a great day!” “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

The Bible says that “joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5). I try to remember that every morning when I wake up. Often times I let out a sigh when I wake up. “No,” I tell myself, “don’t sigh. You have so much to be happy and thankful for.” I’m blessed to have two healthy kids. I’m blessed that I can stay home and take care of them. Sure, I would like to sleep a little more, but today will be fun! 

Something I’ve started doing regularly is praying for joy (see John 16:24). Joy is different than happiness. Joy should “remain in you” (John 15:11), whereas happiness is a emotion. So, even in those hard, stressful, not-so-fun days, we should still have joy. Did you know that “joy” appears 158 times in the Bible and “rejoice” is mentioned 198 times? Rejoice means to feel or have joy. (Read more about joy here.) 

So, rejoicing in God and our blessings will bring joy! With God’s help, we too can be like little children. We can wake up everyday full of joy and happiness and excitement about a new day.