As I stepped out of my front door one Monday morning, the summer air was warm but not yet heavy. The sky was painted in shades of deepening orange as the sun rose, casting a golden glow on everything it touched. The breeze swirling through the trees carried with it the promise of a peaceful day, but my senses were unaware of it all, blinded by the swelling to-do list that was pulsing through my mind. 

At the top of that list sat my wide-eyed three-year-old daughter, who needed to be dropped off at daycare so that my mind could shift into warp speed tackling the day ahead. I became convinced there is nothing that derails a morning routine faster than a curious child with time to spare. For her, the morning felt alive in every way. The day was full of possibility, and she was enchanted by the gentle embrace of that perfect summer sunrise. Her 17-second walk from our front door to our vehicle was halted continually by things like ordinary dandelions and lifeless rocks spotted on the sidewalk. Basking and wonder were the only items on her agenda, and my role as the gentle usher then felt like agony as I watched my goals for the day vanish into a proverbial wasteland of tasks left undone. 

If I am honest with myself, the real problem that morning wasn’t in the pure curiosity of my daughter but in my unwillingness to spot the joy. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, “the joy of the Lord is your strength,” and I wondered, that morning, when was the last time I had accessed that strength, and how long had I been walking in my own. My daughter showed me that morning that joy isn’t a luxury left for the elite, but it’s a necessary part of the journey for all who follow Christ. Joy is not an afterthought or a destination we find once the battle is over. It’s a fruit of the Spirit that we are to engage with at every point, in every moment. We see this  modeled in Philippians 4:4 (NIV), in the life of Paul as he wrote from the prison cell, with every pressure of life surrounding him, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Joy was a resource he grasped in the middle of the mission. It wasn’t something reserved once his mission came to an end, and it was the joy of the Lord that held him through the darkest season of his life. 

As we step out into a new day each morning, our prayer should be for joy to be renewed, and vision restored. The kingdom of God gives us access to a joy that isn’t dependent on how our situation is going, but it’s dependent on who Jesus is. He is our strength. He is our joy. He is our vision. In our childlike faith, may we pause long enough to bask in the wonders of Jesus all around us.

Dig Deeper

What if joy isn’t an outcome we reach if all the swirling elements of the mission align? What if joy is necessary to the mission itself? If this is a growth area for you, let’s start paying attention. Ask: Where am I already seeing God? What would change if I started every morning with holy curiosity of the world around me? 

Prayer

Lord, open our eyes to the joy left behind. Grant us fresh vision and strength to complete Your mission.  

Daily Readings

Bible verse illustration by Frieda Ruh.| This article was originally titled “Joy All Around” in the Summer 2025 issue of Peer.