God has
blessed us with a very dear child who just loves to laugh. He is always first
to see the funny side of things.
Each and
every morning when the blinds in his
bedroom are raised – we hear the same delighted squeal and laughter at the
whizzing sound it makes.
Odd
shaped fruit and vegetables are amusing.
Apparently
drawing smiley faces is funny, but his attempt at not so happy ones is even
more so.
Showers
are hilarious too; they tickle.
As a
tiny baby he would even laugh when dressing him. Between putting the shirt over
his head and appearing out the top there would be giggles, and other happy baby
sounds, while he was in the middle.
Some
days we just sit and laugh at each other for the pure joy of it.
So I
should not have been surprised recently when the following little scene
unfolded…
“Tickle
me Dad,” he said, lying on the floor.
“Why?”
we inquired, genuinely curious and somewhat puzzled.
“So I can laugh!”
But of
course!!! (How silly for us not to know this.)
What a
great example he is. Not waiting for joy to come but actively creating it.
‘Joy is not in things. It is in us’
I do not
know who first said that, though I have heard it several times over the years.
And it is so true!!
No
matter if the house is neat and orderly (or not!), whether I’m in good health,
a humongous bill has just arrived, or whatever circumstances may be… I'm choosing joy. I choose to see the bright
side of life. I choose to seek it out if it is not apparent at first. And I can
do this because of my God who loves me.
I did a
little search on what the Bible has to say about joy. There are many verses. I
encourage you to seek them out yourself. Here is a small selection:
Nehemiah
8:10b “…for the joy of
the Lord is your strength.”
Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you
will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right
hand.
John 15:10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in
my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be
in you and that your joy may be complete.
Romans 15:
13 May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow
with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with
an inexpressible and glorious joy…
How will you choose joy today?
I would love to hear from you…
I loved this! Thank you. What a joy to have such a happy and funny child :) I really like the quote and verses as well. I had a particularly trying night of insomnia last night and as a result am more tired than usual. How did I chose joy? Well I made a list of the things that make me smile. You will see it on my blog later :)
ReplyDeleteGreat way to choose joy! blessings :)
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