Episode 31: Fighting for Joy with Ordinary Goodness

Let’s face it, life in this world of ours is such a “both/and"! It can be beautiful and exciting…AND...it can be hard, painful, and disappointing - sometimes all at the same time! Thankfully, we don’t have to wait for our struggles to end or our circumstances to change before we can experience joy. And hope. And peace. It is possible to find these things right in the messy middle! We can experience pain AND peace. Chaos AND comfort. Grief AND hope. Sadness AND joy. Isn't this hopeful?!?! Even in the hard, we can experience abounding JOY!

My guest today is a great example of this. I’m so excited to welcome my friend Shelly Waltz to the podcast. Shelly and I got connected through Instagram and her voice on social media is one of light, beauty, and joy. Shelly calls herself "Little Ms. Magnolia" and says that she fights for joy by embracing ordinary goodness. She is a self-proclaimed "steel magnolia" who is "living out her Plan B with her 4 beautiful babes"!

On today's episode we talk about things like gratitude, contentment, creating a home that is a refuge, turning 50, and looking for beauty in the ordinary things that are all around us! I’m grateful for Shelly's willingness to share a little bit of her story and how she has learned to fight for joy after her life took an unexpected and hard turn. I know you will be blessed by her wisdom and beautiful perspective.

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Faithful Counseling, an online Christian counseling service that pairs you with a professional licensed therapist who will combine Biblical wisdom with their clinical expertise in mental health to help you address your unique situation. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: faithfulcounseling.com/fightingforjoy . Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!