There’s More Joy In You
Good morning Sis,
There comes a point in a woman's life when she realizes she has become very good at surviving.
She knows how to keep going when she's tired. She knows how to smile when life feels heavy. She knows how to pray through disappointment, show up for everyone else, handle what needs to be handled, and somehow still make it look like she's okay.
But surviving and living are not the same thing.
Sometimes we spend so much time becoming who everyone needs us to be that we forget the woman God created us to be.
And little by little, our joy gets quiet.
Not because we stopped loving God.
Not because we aren't grateful.
Not because something is necessarily wrong.
Sometimes joy gets buried underneath responsibility.
I have learned that you can be blessed and still be tired. You can be walking in purpose and still need to find yourself again. You can love the life God has given you and still realize there are parts of you that have been neglected along the way.
That's why I believe this so deeply:
Joy returns when purpose is restored.
There is a different kind of joy that comes when you reconnect with who you are and why you're here.
Purpose awakens something in you.
It reminds you that there are still dreams worth dreaming. There are still things God wants to show you. There are still places inside of you that have not been explored, gifts that have not been fully used, laughter that has not been released and chapters that have not yet been written.
Maybe that's why you have been feeling the stirring.
Maybe you're not falling apart.
Maybe something inside of you is coming alive again.
I've discovered that sometimes God doesn't change everything around us first. Sometimes He begins by changing what is happening within us.
He reminds us who we are.
He restores our desire.
He gives us permission to dream again.
And slowly, the woman who has spent so much time simply making it begins to realize...
I want to live again.
Not just exist.
Not just accomplish.
Not just take care of everybody.
Live.
So I want you to sit with one question this week:
What makes me feel alive?
Don't rush your answer.
Maybe it's something you haven't done in years. Maybe it's something you've talked yourself out of. Maybe it's a dream you buried because life became too busy. Or maybe it's simply giving yourself permission to enjoy the woman you are becoming.
Whatever your answer is, don't ignore it.
There is still laughter in you.
There are still dreams in you.
There is still purpose in you.
And Sis...
There is still JOY in you.
Maybe this next season isn't about becoming someone new.
Maybe it's about returning to the parts of yourself that life made you forget.
Because there's more in you.
And this time, I don't want you to just become HER.
I want you to enjoy becoming HER.
Tonya Harden
Life Coach & Purpose Mentor
Creating a space for women to win.
