joy — Daily Devotion — Kristen Alexis Cave

What If I’m Happy And Sad About Being Single?

There were so many things I grew to love about being single. (Notice I said “grew to love” because I started out not loving much of anything about being single.) But as time went on, I really enjoyed many of the aspects of being single. I genuinely loved my life and was thoroughly enjoying it. But on the other hand, there was this ever-present, deeply-rooted desire to be married. As much as I loved my single life, as much as I was enjoying all of the opportunities and blessings that came with that season, I never stopped wanting marriage.

Kristen CaveMay 2, 2024singleness, joy, sadness, emotions, tension, relationships, breakup, heartbreak, friendshipComment

Joy In The Ordinary

Have you ever been guilty of being so busy waiting on something extraordinary that you miss the joy that comes from the ordinary? I know I have been. So many times I’ve been preoccupied with just wanting to be done with school or just wanting a new job or just wanting to be married that I fail to soak in the good that exists in the present.

Kristen CaveFebruary 19, 2024joy, ordinary, extraordinary, seasons, lists, journalComment

What Do You Think Will Fulfill You?

With Super Bowl Sunday being just around the corner, I got to thinking about a story I heard a while back. I came across this story while I was scrolling through my phone one Sunday evening while my husband and I were watching an NFL game. My husband’s best friend had posted about a conversation he’d had a couple of years earlier with a former NFL player who had won a Super Bowl title.

Kristen CaveJanuary 10, 2024satisfaction, fulfillment, joy, contentment, goals, dreams, disappointmentComment

How To Choose Joy

There are moments in your life that, when they happen, you know you’ll never forget them. I’ve got quite a long list of those moments in my own life, but there’s one in particular that will forever be a favorite. A few summers ago, as I was driving home from running errands, I couldn’t stop complaining. I wasn’t necessarily talking to myself out loud in my car (although I’ve done that before). But on the inside, my heart was listing off one complaint after the other.

Kristen CaveDecember 13, 2023joy, choices, thankfulness, gratitude, complaining, frustration, circumstancesComment

Beauty In The Valley

Gratitude is all about perspective. Are we willing to widen our gaze to see what unexpected blessings came along this year? Or are we going to remain focused on the disappointment and unmet expectations? Are we willing to dig a little deeper to identify all that we can to thank the Lord for? Or are we going to hold onto our surface perspective, zoning in on what we wish didn’t happen this year?

Kristen CaveNovember 22, 2023valley, struggle, disappointment, discouragement, pain, hardship, 2020, joy, peace, thankfulness, gratitude, thanksgiving, thankfulComment

Remember Where Your Joy Comes From

I pulled my car out of the driveway and drove down the main street in our neighborhood towards the highway. About the time I was halfway out of the neighborhood, I passed a garbage truck. Wednesday is trash day here, and I had already seen this garbage truck stop by our house earlier that day. My first thought as I saw the garbage man throwing someone’s trash into the back of the truck was, “Gosh, what an awful day to be a garbage man. It’s cold. It’s wet. It’s raining. I would not want to be doing his job right about now.”

Kristen CaveOctober 20, 2023joy, rejoice, thankfulness, thankful, gratitude, circumstances, perspectiveComment

A Reminder For The Broken-Hearted

Heartbreak is quite possibly the worst feeling you can feel on this earth. Heartbreak over loss. Heartbreak over disappointment. Heartbreak over rejection. Heartbreak over abandonment. Heartbreak over unmet expectations. There are so many reasons for which our hearts can break.

Kristen CaveJuly 14, 2023broken heart, valleys, hard times, tears, disappointment, loss, hope, joy, comfortComment

Joy Over Worry

Everyone has something they’re worried about. We’re all wrestling with anxious thoughts and feelings, like a low-grade fever in our hearts and minds that we can’t seem to shake. We’re worried about our relationships, our school work, our jobs, our health, our finances, and many other things. But as followers of Jesus, it is so important that we do not approach worry the same way the world does.

Kristen CaveOctober 18, 2022joy, worry, worries, rejoice, faith, peaceComment

Joy Over Worry

Everyone has something they’re worried about. We’re all wrestling with anxious thoughts and feelings, like a low-grade fever in our hearts and minds that we can’t seem to shake. We’re worried about our relationships, our school work, our jobs, our health, our finances, and many other things. But as followers of Jesus, it is so important that we do not approach worry the same way the world does.

Kristen CaveDecember 16, 2021joy, worry, worries, rejoice, faith, peaceComment

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