Joy

Joy: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety

2: a state of happiness or felicity : bliss

3: a source or cause of delight 

 Joy is what makes life livable.

 Laughter and jokes and sarcasm and humor and a vision to see life with eyes of faith.  To see the joy in the pain, the humor in the sickness, the chance to laugh at ourselves when we need to.  To take a day off and encourage my more serious friends to do the same.  To tell a story or listen to one that takes me up on the mountain for a view of what is really going on with life.   There have been some heavy things on my heart lately, some fears I have been dealing with and  I wrote a friend about it and I'd like you to read what she sent to me.  It brought tears to my eyes, made me laugh, and overwhelmed me with gratitude for friends such as these.

Rach, we live in such a broken world, with broken people encased in time which only erodes and works against us. We'd have to shut ourselves down completely not to experience pain from it and in our effort to try we'd miss the most beautiful reason for living--the glimpse of grace. I'm encouraging your heart to step into the world angels can only dream of. Feel, experience, cry, laugh, be courageous, be totally scared, be filled with sorrow or complete joy--but all along the ride of being a human made in the image of a living God, know WHO and WHAT Christ is, here and now, and all that it means. Being in the mess is heading for the front row seats. He's going to show himself and the deeper we go, the better the view. But we don't only see. We'll know and knowing involves much more than just sight. This is our time, Rach. Let's pick up our torches and run, grab a hold of someone when we can't keep the pace anymore and eventually break the tape into the kingdom where complete and perfect rest and peace await. 

 

"Being in the mess is heading for the front row seats."  My favorite line.  The one that brings a smile to my face.  Because what my friend was showing me was that I could look at this situation differently.   That perspective comes only from a woman who has walked it and seen God's faithfulness.  I have seen it too, and tonight I remind myself, and you, that He is faithful.  So we can be joyful.  He is the Savior, (not us), so we can take a day off!