When I started my journey to learn how to enjoy life, I set a goal of purposely enjoying everything I did, even things I normally just did to get them over with or to check them off of my list. For example, instead of hurrying to get ready in the morning so I could get about my day, I purposed to enjoy the entire process.
Things like choosing my wardrobe for the day, putting on makeup, and fixing my hair. Although I did these things daily, it never occurred to me that they were a part of every day of my life and I could and should enjoy doing them. I said to myself, “I am enjoying this moment in my life and the task at hand.” I try to do for God’s glory what I commonly did out of routine, and with no purpose except to get it done.
The Carmelite monk called Brother Lawrence, who wrote the spiritual classic Practicing the Presence of God, learned to do the same thing. He found kitchen work to be very distasteful, but learned that if he did it for the love of God, he was able to practice the presence of God in the midst of it. This same principle was applied to every facet of his life and practicing it enabled him to enjoy life in a superior manner. He turned what could have been a boring, mundane, miserable existence into one that was admired and coveted by many. People wanted his simplicity, joy, peace, and profound ability to converse with God while doing everything he did.
There are dozens of things that pertain to ordinary everyday life and we can enjoy them all if we just make a decision to do it. Things like getting dressed, driving to work, going to the grocery store, running errands, keeping things organized, and hundreds of other things. After all, they are the things that life is made up of. Begin doing them for the love of God and realize that through the Holy Spirit, you can enjoy absolutely everything you do. Joy doesn’t come merely from being entertained, but from a decision to appreciate each moment that you are given as a rare and precious gift from God.
