I DON’T KNOW about you, but I need a little joy these days. And it’s not always easy to find it – especially when troubles come. Author Tama Fortner, however, doesn’t think joy is as elusive as some of us might think it is. And she tells us why in her new book, Everyday Joys Devotional: 40 Days of Reflecting on the Intersection of Ordinary and Divine. As an award winning author of over 60 titles,Tama is the writer behind the million-selling Indescribable for Kids series with Louie Giglio, as well as a number of books in the Jesus Calling children’s line. But today she is telling us about joy and where to find it.
Linda: What was the inspiration for Everyday Joys?
Tama: The truth is, this little collection of what I hope are joy-filled essays actually had its roots in a less-than-joyful time. It was a time when all the many pieces of my life were crumbling and caving in on me. Or so it seemed.
I was facing changes in the seasons of life—my own and others. They threw me off balance and out of my routines. My once-full nest began to empty as my children grew up and into their own lives, giving me a little too much quiet time. Some relationships and responsibilities changed—and not in the way I’d hoped or planned. A pandemic came and took away so many of our gatherings and celebrations, leaving more than a little loneliness in their place. The world became overwhelming. I lost my grandmother (the last of my grandparents). I lost my dog. My mother began showing signs of deteriorating health. I lost my sense of self and purpose. Honestly, my life was starting to feel like a country music song, and even though I’m from Nashville, I was not loving that melody.
Linda: How does all that struggle inspire a book about joy?
Tama: That, of course, is where God comes in. (Insert big smile here!)
As I was walking one morning, feeling more than a little desperate, I found myself praying, “Lord, show me the joy. I need to see Your joy. I need it to be a light for my path through these overwhelming days.”
And God answered my prayer.
Instantly.
I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t usually happen for me. I mean, God answers my prayers, always. But usually it takes a little more 
time, and often I have to look for His answers. But on that morning, His answer appeared right before my eyes. Literally. God pointed my attention to the birds and reminded me that they never escape His notice. He showed me the trees that clap out His praise as the wind whips through their leaves. And He guided me to the wildflowers He so carefully and splendidly clothes.
Did the crosses I was asked to bear disappear? No. But their heaviness was lightened by those all-around-me evidences of Him. Because the joy of the Lord truly is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
That morning, I began to see intersections of ordinary and divine, and now I can’t stop seeing them.
Linda: So are you saying those intersections help you through the difficult days?
Tama: Yes! Those intersections of ordinary and divine fill my days—even the toughest days—with His joy. Those glimpses of God remind me that He is at work and that I am not alone. And the knowledge of His presence—personal and purposeful—not only fills me with peace and joy but also gives me the strength I need to face whatever comes my way.
Linda: Where else, besides creation, do you see intersections of ordinary and divine?
Tama: Everywhere! Literally, everywhere . . . from fingerprints on the ceiling and folding clothes to walking the dog and searching for my glasses in the midst of all the clutter on my kitchen table. God is teaching me to see the world in a new way, to see evidences of His goodness, His blessings, and His presence all around me.
There is such tremendous power and comfort in simply knowing that we don’t face life alone, isn’t there? To know that God is by our side and working in our lives . . . the same God who created the endless galaxies and tells the waves of the ocean where to begin and stop. That’s just a huge “Wow!” for me.
Linda: How can we see these divine intersections for ourselves?
Tama: It does require a bit of intentionality. And that’s not always easy, is it? Because I don’t know about everyone else, but I can get caught up in the blur of life—the distractions of busyness, the weight of worries, the loss and loneliness, even the lull of leisure. It’s then so easy to miss all the gifts God’s poured into our lives, gifts just waiting to be discovered in all the ordinary and not-so-ordinary moments of life.
I think the answer to this struggle is in the prayer I prayed that morning, “Lord, show me the joy. I need to see Your joy. I need it to be a light for my path through these overwhelming days.”
When we call out to God for help—especially I think when we call out for more of Him in our lives—He is so faithful to answer.
Linda: Which of the 40 devotions in Everyday Joys is your favorite?
Tama: Oh, that’s a bit like asking someone to choose a favorite child! Impossible! But there is one that my thoughts keep coming back to. It’s called “A Little Biblical Math.” (My devotions are often a little quirky!) It’s a little twist on one of the laws of mathematics, which I found myself applying to Scripture one day. Here’s an excerpt:
The Scripture was Exodus 3. Moses had stepped up to the burning bush. (Because who wouldn’t want a closer look at something like that?) Then the voice of God called out to him and said, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
Holy ground. Ground made holy by the presence of God.
Hold on to that thought and fast forward a few thousand years to the new covenant of Christ. As Jesus prepared to return to His Father, He promised a gift to us as believers: the Holy Spirit of God would come to live inside us. We would become His dwelling place (1 Corinthians 6:19). Which means that where we go, He goes. Every step of the way. So then . . . every step of the way becomes holy ground. In other words:
If I am the dwelling place of God’s presence and God’s presence equals holy ground, then wherever I go is holy ground. Because He is with me.
Just a little beautiful, biblical math found at the intersection of ordinary and divine.
Linda: Where can readers find Everyday Joys and learn more about you?
Tama: Everyday Joys was published by Ink & Willow, a division of Waterbrook and Penguin/Random House, and is available at booksellers everywhere, including, of course, Amazon. You can find all the links and all about me on my website at www.TamaFortner.com.
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