By Val Petty, author of “Designed for Joy” book

I’ve always been a girl who loves to celebrate, but the older I got and the more “adulting” I did, I found that my spark of joy was gone.

As I was rounding the corner towards 40 years old, I was really struggling. I knew my Bible and I had been in church for my entire life. I prayed about everything, and I had seen God work miracles in my life in the past. 

In my head, I knew the promises of God and I knew that 2 Timothy 1:7 says that God promises to give us peace, love, and a sound mind, and yet, I was living a very stressed and anxious life. 

I was exhausted from striving to “fix” the battles in my life that plagued me. Whether it was marriage issues, financial issues, or career issues, I was so frustrated with my life circumstances and I couldn't seem to find breakthrough no matter what I did. 

I was begging God to fix my circumstances so that I could find the joy and peace that I knew He promised.

One day, I told God that I was finished searching for answers and solutions. I knew that the tools I had been using to manage my life weren’t working, so I needed a whole new way of operating. I told Him that I needed Him to open my eyes to a better way of doing things.

From that day forward, God began to work on my heart and restore my joy. I learned how to process my emotions and renew my thoughts to align with His truth. I discovered amazing tools throughout the growth process that helped me to release the lies I believed about myself and my circumstances.

As I cast my cares on Him, I gained a much better understanding of my Identity as a child of The King. When you know who you are and Whose you are, the joy begins to bubble up and radiate out of you, despite your circumstances.  

Now, I believe it is my God-given purpose in life to help others uncover they’ve been believing, so they can realize who they were created to be. 

From this passion and purpose, I wrote a book on this topiccalled “Designed for Joy.” It’s an interactive book study that helps you move from a life of anxiety and defeat to living a courageous life full of joy, peace, and breakthrough by renewing your mind and realizing your Identity in Christ. In the book, I share all of my favorite tools for healing, so that you will also be able to walk in freedom and joy!

I also have a Facebook group and an Instagram account called The Essential Joyologist.  I love to share all of the things that bring me joy and lead others towards healing. You’ll see a mixture of my favorite things like essential oils, cooking, and family + mind renewal and emotional healing solutions. 

I love to share my favorite essential oil and cooking recipes on my social media pages, so here’s a quick recipe for accessing the joy that is your birthright!

JOY FILLED RECIPE 

1 cup of Gratitude - We enter God’s courts with praise and thanksgiving. I love to think of 5 things every morning that I’m grateful for. It doesn’t have to be profound...coffee always makes my list.

1 cup of Trust - release your cares to God and let Him bring the restoration you desire.

1 cup of Power - remember that you are a powerful person, with infinite worth and value because you have Christ living inside of you. You are not stuck. You do have choices. You can do hard things.

1 cup Self Care - You can’t pour from an empty cup. Find the thing that lights you up and make sure to carve out time to do it. I love to cook and bake and I make sure to factor time into my week to be creative in the kitchen.  

About Val Petty

Val Petty is an essential oil advocate, podcast host, and author of the book “Designed for Joy.” Val has personally walked the journey from living in frustration and fear to accepting her Identity and all of the promises that come with it: feeling loved, accepted, and full of joy!  She is passionate about helping others let go of lies to move towards true growth and healing in order to live a life of more clarity, freedom and experiencing joy.  She lives in Franklin, Tennessee with her husband Barrett and their two children. 

Val’s reSOURCEs

Check out Val’s podcast, Metamorphasis (hosted with Jennifer Hawkins), with topics of diving deep into processing emotions using essential oils.

About Val’s “Designed for Joy” Book:  An interactive guide for moving from a life of anxiety and defeat to living a courageous life full of joy, peace, and breakthrough by renewing your mind and realizing your Identity in Christ.

This study will be so beneficial to you if you find that you are struggling with:

-fear of the unknown future

-financial instability

-grief of life changes

-anxiety

-erratic emotions and thoughts

-insecurity and lack of self-worth

You’ll learn how to observe your thoughts and measure them against truth. We can believe something in our head but when we don’t feel that truth in our heart, our emotions can get the best of us.There is victory in our Identity! When we know and believe the truth of who we are and Whose we are, we can own our power and step into the joy-filled life we were created for!

Testimonial: "Designed for Joy was a refreshing journey that recalibrated my thinking about who I am in Christ for the long journey.  The “Trade” exercise opened up such a freeing perspective on surrendering and releasing guilt in order to accept what God has for me.  It takes strength to shift a paradigm, and this study has provided me with the strategies I need to fend off negativity, guilt and anxiety.  This was the perfect tool to dig deeper to discover all the treasures God has for me!" - Karen M.