[00:00:01] Jessica: Hey, friend. Welcome to Perspectives into Practice, a place where life's stories meet practical wisdom. Together we'll explore how faith filled perspectives can transform the way we live, love and grow.
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Hey, friend. Welcome back to Perspectives into Practice. Today we're going to be talking about joy, but not the kind that depends on life going well. My friend Trisha is walking through a season where by all appearances she says she should be sad, depressed and hopeless. But instead she has experienced God meeting her there with an incredible amount of peace. And I think there's something really important for us to talk about in that because hard seasons are real, wilderness seasons are real, but so is the presence of God right in the middle of them. Tricia has such a heart for noticing God in the small moments, sitting with him in his word, choosing gratitude, and yes, even finding reasons to laugh when life is hard. So today we're going to talk about what it looks like to find real joy in God even when your circumstances haven't changed. Welcome, Tricia, I'm so glad that you're here.
[00:01:24] Trisha: Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for having me on.
[00:01:27] Jessica: Absolutely. We are going to have a great time. But before we get into any of that, y' all know I love a good fun fact. And Trisha, you have described yourself as multi passionate. You love wondering and discovering new places and new people. And you've told me that hygge is basically your love language. So please tell us, what does that mean and how do you apply that to your life?
[00:01:51] Trisha: Oh, goodness. Okay, Hygge. H Y G G E. So it's like Danish, Swedish, all the ishes.
Basically it's just cozy, if you've heard or like another form of Feng shui similar to that. So just cozy spaces, aesthetically pleasing, but also just a feeling of coziness. Like kind of the feeling you get when you sit by a fireplace or at a campfire and it's just like all the warm fuzzy feels. So that is my love language. A cup of coffee in a ceramic coffee cup, not a paper one.
[00:02:31] Jessica: Yes.
[00:02:31] Trisha: Makes my. Makes my heart like just happy.
[00:02:35] Jessica: I love that so much because as I've gotten to know you, that is truly what you love. And I remember when we first met, you were praying for rain and like cloudy fog for the area that we were going to be in, even though I was praying for sun. And you know what? The Lord blessed both of us and Answered both of our prayers, and that was just so amazing. Anyway, but I've never heard of that word. I definitely had to look it up and see how to pronounce it because it's got a lot of consonants in it.
[00:03:09] Trisha: Yeah. And if it. I think it means a lot to a lot of different people, too, but to me, it's. Yeah, I could go on and on about it, but I'm gonna stop.
[00:03:18] Jessica: Well, I've never heard that, and I think that that is. It just sums up so much feeling and connection and finding things.
And it's. I think it's. I think it's really cool. I love it so much.
So you said when you first listened to one of the podcasts that you have, you love this idea of slowing down enough to notice simple things and beautiful things that God's placed around you. And, I mean, that's exactly what this word seems to mean and that you have just intentionally tried to live that for many years. So I really want to start there and ask, what has God been doing in your life in this season?
[00:06:21] Trisha: Oh, man. Yeah. So one. One thing is at work in particular.
You know, I. I came from a background of. I taught for 13 years. Now I'm in this operations role at work and where I kind of wear a lot of hats. And that requires me to do a lot of different things, things that I didn't have to do as a teacher. And. And so it's like, I honestly have to do a heart check a lot of. A lot of days because, yeah, there are times when I'm thinking, but why am I having to clean up after all these people? And God's like, because, Trisha, I put you here for this reason. And like, that is not beneath me. So, have a surrendered heart and, and say, okay, I am not doing this for anybody else, but for the Lord. You know, we are working for the Lord, not for men. It's in those kind of experiences where he's just really tugging at my heart, but not in a. Not in a point my finger. Point his finger at me, but in a loving way, like, you're doing this for me, Tricia. Yeah. And it's. When you're not used to something, you know it. And it's a challenge, for sure.
[00:07:35] Jessica: Yeah. Oh, for sure. What I'm hearing in your story is that the Lord is showing you all of these ways that you can show up for other people. And I feel like there's a lot of freedom that Comes when we realize that we don't have to hold everything together. That if we just obey and do what he has asked us to do, then he is going to show up in that. How have you begun to release control to the Lord in this season that you're in? And notice that this piece that you, that you talk about is, Is showing up in a lot of different areas.
[00:08:24] Trisha: Just knowing that, you know, I am not working for men, whether it's work, home, church, but just knowing that it, it truly is like, he's called me to do my own work and also to not look around and it's so easy to see like, for example, somebody at work. Well, oh, she's in her 20s and, and she's really valued. But God's like, no, like, I run your own race, stay in your own path. And the path that I have for you not, don't chase these titles. Like, yes, she might be 20 and she might be really valued. But like, this is what I have for you. And so, yeah, to just remember that and to just surrender, like, seek him and stay surrendered to him in everything. And that gives me peace, knowing, yeah, he's got me. I don't need to do what everybody else is doing. I don't need to try to, to chase anything else but Him. And, and that, that, yeah, that just bring, that brings me the peace that I need and gives me that joy that this is, this is the lane that God has for me today. So, yeah, walking it.
[00:09:38] Jessica: I think it's so important for us to remember that. And I'm so glad that you said that because I think a lot of times we get stuck in looking at where other people are comparing ourselves, which the Bible says that, you know, the comparison is a, is a thief and we shouldn't be doing it right. Like, but we're human and we see what other people are going through and think, well, if I just had their life, then I would be happy or my life would be much easier if XYZ or whatever it is. And so I know that you have been learning the difference between having joy in God and simply just trying to, to be happy when life is hard. And you, you've told me about in Deuteronomy 2 where Moses is looking back at Israel's wilderness years for so many years. And then there's something that, that the Lord spoke to you about that. Could you share that with us?
[00:10:28] Trisha: Yeah. So in, in two, seven, you know, it says he knows you're going through this great wilderness, these 40 years.
The Lord your God has been with you. You've lacked nothing. So sometimes it may feel like 40 years. For sure, it was 40 years for them.
[00:10:45] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:10:45] Trisha: But God, he does know what we are going through. He knows the wilderness seasons, and he allows us to go through them. And I've just went through one, you know, as we all have seasons where we do that. But the Lord showed me that he is with me and he is faithful, and He. He will carry us. When we can't carry our walk or, you know, sometimes continue with just daily life activities, he will carry us, and that's exactly what he's shown me recently.
The wilderness, it feels like forever, but it says the very last sentence. You have lacked nothing. And I did learn that in that season. I didn't lack anything. God was totally with me. He supplied all, all my needs in every single way. And he taught me what. What Paul. I believe it was Paul that said, I know what it's like to be with, and I know what it's like to be without. And I have learned to be content in all of those circumstances.
And also, you know, during that time, the Lord so clearly spoke to me on my way to work. I felt like sometimes my heart was being ripped out of my chest.
And. And the Lord would clearly speak to me and say, the joy, it's my. My joy is your strength, Trisha. The joy of the Lord is your strength. I heard that more than once. And. And that carried me. That word alone carried me. That's Nehemiah 8, 10, I think, that I mentioned earlier. But his joy is our strength. And joy. I also learned in the season, it is a fruit of the Spirit. It doesn't come easy. We have to choose it. And so that is our strength. When we can choose joy, no matter where our circumstances, he's going to come through and be that unrecognizable strength for us that everybody around you is like, how are you happy? How are you laughing? How are you? If I was going through that, I wouldn't be at peace. And it's only because of the Lord. Only.
[00:12:50] Jessica: Well, and I love that picture of joy in. In the wilderness, because it's still the wilderness. But when we look back at, you know, even the Israelite story, we can see that God was with them the whole time and he provided for them the whole time. And even when we're in our own wilderness season, sometimes we don't realize that we're in the middle of it until we look back. And so we have to notice those things. We have to see the evidence that God is there with us even in the hardest parts. What are some of those you've mentioned a couple. But what are some of those small things that you have been noticing God show you lately?
[00:13:25] Trisha: Just simple things. Rain. I prayed for rain again this past weekend.
It's been. It's been so hot here and humid and, you know, it rained all day yesterday.
Little things like that. And I think if we don't notice them, we're not doing any justice. Because He. He is a God that cares about the little things and the big things and all the things in between. He is that good of a God and that good of a father to us.
Little simple things like that that just my heart finds delight in and just sitting still with him. And that's, you know, another thing that he's taught me in this wilderness season, that I don't want to just go to God and I don't want to be that person anymore. To go to him like a magician or Santa Claus, because He's so much more than that.
And so to just go and sit in his presence and to sit with him and just be still, that's where the joy is found. Those are those simple moments where you just sit and you feel the wind. You feel the wind blow. That's like him breathing on you. You know, it feels like that to me because he's. He's giving you like just that fresh wind and to listen to the birds that he created sing. The colors and the flowers and the vibrancy of the.
The trees and the leaves, and those are the things. And. And you can't really notice those things when you are not still.
[00:14:53] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:14:54] Trisha: And so. And again, those all things also bring joy. And that's where that strength comes into. From God. So little. Little things, simple things, they don't have to cost anything.
I think he definitely gave us those things to enjoy and to admire and just to reflect on his creation. Just, oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.
[00:15:20] Jessica: Yeah. I think it's so important, and we talk about this all the time, of noticing the things around you, noticing what God is doing in your life right now. Because it is very easy to get in a rut where it's, you know, woe is me, or you're in this wilderness and you're like, lord, I don't see see you. All I see is the negativity. But if we stop, if we slow down, if we wait to see the birds and to feel the air, and sometimes we want the Lord to answer us in five Minutes we want to just sit down and read our word and have the answer. But it's that seeking him that actually requires us to stay a while. Because you can't. I don't know about you, but I have binoculars that I see my birds with, and when I use them, when I am looking out for a bird, when I am seeking a bird, I can't just put my binoculars up and automatically it's in the view. I have to stay a while. I have to sit there and intentionally look for the bird to be able to see it. And I think that's the same thing that the Lord's asking us to do is to stay a while, to be still and intentional with noticing what he's doing. Because he's doing all of this for us. So why would we not want to take the time to see what he's doing in us and through us and around us? And it's, it's a practice for sure, is what I have seen. It is a practice of having to slow down, learning to slow down. And, you know, we just get in this hustle and bustle type word world, and we don't do that. And in your slowing down, what has God taught you through learning to wait and persist instead of rushing your time with Him?
[00:16:59] Trisha: Oh, yeah, I love that question. To persevere. And, and when you sit with him, don't give up. Don't be so quick to give up and say, well, I've been reading my Bible for 10 minutes and he hasn't spoken anything. No, it takes some diligence and it takes some perseverance and patience, which is also a fruit of the spirit. And to just read until you hear from him, because that's where the sweet, that's like where the, the, the honey comes in. The sweetness and the aroma of God. Like when you sit long, you hear a word and you get a word that, like, infiltrates your system and your body or your. It is so sweet. It is like honey, you know, and, and I can see why they call, you know, the land of milk and honey, because it is like that. So don't give up, don't give up just because you don't hear a word in five or 10 minutes. Keep going and, and press, press in because you want to find that sweet spot. And you will find it. Because when you seek, you will find.
When you call, he is going to answer, but you have to, you have to sit and you have to keep at it.
[00:18:06] Jessica: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:18:08] Trisha: Anytime I find myself, I feel like I'm lacking something Or I'm not feeling enough.
I. I like to ask myself, you know, have I left?
Have I been. Have I been grateful? And what is the hope? Like, what am I hoping in? And so it, first of all, is my hope. Have I put my hope in God today? You know?
[00:18:29] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:18:30] Trisha: Because if I haven't, then I'm. I'm not. I'm not in the. I'm not going in the right direction.
[00:18:35] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:18:35] Trisha: Because when we put our hope in God, like, that is what brings again, that peace and that joy and to overflowing. And. Yeah, sometimes, you know, we need a nap, sometimes we need something to eat, but. But oftentimes, like, we need to laugh. And again, humor. When we have humor, we have joy. And that is. That is strength from God. So sometimes we just need a good laugh and, like, not to take ourselves so seriously. And I've. I've been guilty of that, just getting so serious about life and so serious about this, like, all this podcast. Like, no, I don't need. I don't need to have the perfectly curated answers.
[00:19:13] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:19:14] Trisha: And if I don't, can. Can I just laugh about it? Like, if we approach it with laughter so many times, it changes everything.
[00:19:21] Jessica: Yeah. Yes.
[00:19:22] Trisha: And then, you know, just being grateful for those simple things. And every day I get to work, I have a notebook by my desk, and I write down three things I'm grateful for. And I try to keep that a daily practice because it keeps my heart kind of in check. So, yeah, those. Those are the. The ways that just on the daily that I like to kind of to do my little heart check and ask myself those things, like, am I laughing? Am I putting my whole hoping guide? And then am I being grateful, or am I being a spoiled rap?
[00:19:52] Jessica: I think that's so important. And I love that you've mentioned that, because it's. It's not something that we think about being in a difficult season and intentionally looking for ways to laugh or ways to be grateful. Because even though in the Bible it says to be grateful in everything, sometimes it's really hard for us to do that because we get stuck in thinking that we have to be grateful for everything, even in those difficult situations. And while we should be grateful for everything, it's hard to say thank you, Lord, for this hard time. It's difficult for that. And I love that you are choosing joy in the midst of. Of everything that's going on, because it is hard to do, and it is a practice. But when you do it, I'm sure that you have experienced a Joy, that is unlike anything else because you are being intentional about every little piece of this. And I just. I just love. Just a side note, I'm sure that you have hard times and that you cry and get mad, but I want our friends to know that you get to choose also how you react to these situations. Because, you know, your. Your story becomes practical for our friend. Listening, who might be thinking, well, I just don't feel joyful right now. For that woman that is listening who's in her own wilderness season, and she is. She's wanting this joy and peace that you're talking about, but she doesn't know how to find it. What would you tell them?
[00:21:18] Trisha: Definitely does not come easy. And you don't feel like it.
So many times, you don't feel like it. If you're not going to find it on your own, you're going to have to go to God and ask and be honest. There's nothing wrong. There's nothing in the Bible that says you can't be honest with God and tell him how you're feeling. I don't feel like being joyful.
My circumstances, I don't want to do this. And I will say there are times right now that I'm choosing things that I don't want to do. I, my, myself don't want to do this thing. But yeah, when you go to God and just be very transparent and real, say, you're going to have to help me. Can you help me? And that's where we're doing it. In his strength and not our own. And know that there's nothing in us. We're not able to on our own. It's only possible with him, through Him. And that sounds like a good answer.
But in reality, we all know it. It takes. It takes work.
It's. It's not easy.
[00:22:16] Jessica: Yeah, but we know who can make it easy. Because if we yoke up with him and we continue to pursue him and we're getting closer to him, it makes life easier even when life is hard, which is counterproductive, counterintuitive to all that we have learned in life. And I'm just. I'm so. Trish, I'm just so thankful for you. I'm thankful that you can come on here and share with us, and share with us a different perspective of what a wilderness season looks like. Because, yes, it is a hard season. But if we look at it differently, if we see what the Lord is doing in those, we can recognize that God is with us in that time and that we don't have to pretend that life isn't hard, that we can just slow down and find him in the noticing, in the wind, in the birds, in the little things. And I. I'm just so thankful for you. So, before we wrap up, I want to ask you one last question that I ask every guest on this podcast. And that is, what is one perspective that you would encourage listeners to apply today?
[00:23:17] Trisha: I would say don't try to do it on your own.
And also that just run closer to Him.
Seek Him. You. You will find Him. We can't have joy. We can't have hope. We can't have anything. Nothing in this world can fill that void. Nothing can satisfy like the love of God. Yeah, just seek Him. Go to him and be. Be honest. You don't have to pretend. You don't have to put on a. A certain voice. You don't have to put on a certain act. You can just go to him as yourself. And I think that so many times we forget. We put on this prayer voice, you know, and we can be ourselves. He created us. He knows us. We can just go to Him.
[00:23:56] Jessica: It sounds so simple, but it does take work to do. And he doesn't need us to be fixed before we come to Him. And I think that's something that we feel like we need to because it's hard to be honest with ourselves. And so it's especially hard, I know, for me, to sometimes be honest with the Lord, even though he already knows everything. He already knows what. What I'm thinking and what I'm struggling with, but I still have a struggle with coming to Him. And I love that reminder that we just have to come to him with everything.
And that's. That's exactly it, friend. I hope that this conversation reminded you that your circumstances do not have to be perfect to experience the goodness of God. If you're walking through your own wilderness season right now, I want you to look around, look back, sit with him, seek him, and notice the small things that he's doing because he is present there in your wilderness season. And if you've been craving a place where you can walk through seasons like this with other women who are learning to notice God, share what he's doing, and practice their faith in real life. I'd love to invite you into the Story Haven. It's a free community built around honest stories, real faith, and genuine connection. Come find your
[email protected] and of course, if you feel like sharing what God is doing in your life, I want to invite you to be a guest. These conversations matter, and your story could be exactly what someone else needs to hear right now. Reach out to me at perspectives into practice.com and remember, even small shifts in perspective can lead to big changes. Now go put those perspectives into practice. Talk to you next time.
