The Joy in Learning Something New

I didn't realize that this season of my life would be so full of joy. When I decided in January to be intentional about looking for joy, I had anticipated that joy would be easy to find, and in many ways, it was not. Life is busy. Work is stressful. And even still there are parts of my personal life that don't look how I thought they would. So looking for joy meant that I had to be very intentional about actually looking in the not-so-obvious places, which at times, is a struggle.

In this season, the Lord has been teaching me to find joy in the things I love to do. I reached a point where I finally just asked myself, what do you love, Kindall? What makes you feel alive? What makes life feel fulfilling and joyful to you? I could sit at home and stare at the walls or I could invest my time in learning a skill and doing something I'm interested in. And while I'm learning all these new things, I still don't think there's anything wrong with a little "sit and stare" time every now and then. Not only that but I've been stretched to find the things I love to do. If I look at something on Pinterest or while scrolling social media and think "that sounds fun," I encourage myself to give it a try. I can do the same things over and over or I can expand the horizon some. For example, I've made cakes for years, but I finally decided to try some cookies and I really, really enjoy it. Sometimes you have to invest a little time and money in learning what it is you like and what you're good at. So I did. And I'll admit, it's easy to get carried away when you're just starting out. Sometimes I dive in a little too deep before realizing if the endeavor is really my thing or not. Thankfully they've been things I've loved! In the last month or so, I've taken a couple of the things I've always liked to see others do and I've made them my own hobby. Things like custom clay earrings and homemade decorated sugar cookies. And surprisingly, with a little practice, both have turned out better than I hoped they would!

I remember just starting out and not having a clue about what I was doing. But thanks to Youtube videos and some very talented individuals whose accounts I follow, I've finally got the hang of it. That moment when you finish your first pair of earrings and they're actually pretty and functional enough to wear....joy. That first bite of a cookie you rolled out, baked and decorated by hand....joy. Extra joy when it actually tastes delicious! That moment when you look out the window and the flowers you've planted and tended to have started to bloom... joy. It's there, in these moments, that the Lord reminds me of the joy to be found in learning new things. I feel proud that I'm learning and growing even when life doesn't look like I thought it would. But more than that, I'm thankful that the Lord is teaching me what it means to build something from the ground up. We have to start somewhere.

So, I see it like this- while I'm learning, I'm having the time of my life. I'm doing things I really love to do and there's a lot of joy in it for me. I think God takes delight in seeing us find joy in these things, too. God is also taking these things and adding them to my toolbox. I'm believing that every investment I make to learn something new expands the horizons of possibility for the ways he can and will use me. There's no telling how God could use all of this someday! And honestly I don't see how sugar cookies, clay earrings, and flower gardening all go together, but God uses anything, right?

I've shared all that to say this- if there's something you've been thinking about or if there's a hobby you'd like to try, just go for it. Don't wait around for the right time. Make the time. Invest a little money to buy supplies, watch some videos and learn more about how to do it. Ask questions and practice. I'll bet, like me, you'll find so much joy tucked inside learning to do something new and God probably smiles real big when we discover it.