My granddaughter loves to play in the dirt and her eyes sparkle
when she is “helping” Grandpa and Grandma plant the garden,
especially when we are planting strawberries or pumpkins.
I love to watch the joy and excitement on her face when she spots a red strawberry and asks,
“Grandpa, is that my berry?”
My daughter-in-law uses essential oils in caring for her family’s health
and one of them is called Joy. I haven’t learned what it is for
but when she applies that particular oil to my granddaughter,
Nora insists that she sings the “Joy” song.
You know the one: “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart…”
Today as I walked back to my office after lunch, I thought about her sweet joy.
I had spent most of my lunch hour whining (literally) to my husband about
how my time seemed to be so consumed by the needs of others that
I always feel like I am playing “catch up” because there is no time to get ahead
and to do what I wanted to do. There was no time for me.
It was really a rather sad tirade.
Walking in the sunshine, my conscience was pricked by how selfish
I must have sounded during lunch. When did I become so absorbed
in me that helping and serving was no longer joyful?
It was time for a bit of confession and repentance for my bad attitude.
A little tune that my Grandma Alice used to sing to me
when I would get grumpy as a child flitted through my mind:
Jesus and others and you
What a wonderful way to spell joy
Jesus and others and you
in the life of each girl and each boy
“J” is for Jesus for He has first place,
“O” is for others you meet face to face,
“Y” is for you, in whatever you do,
Put your self third and spell JOY.
I do believe that it is important to take scheduled time away to rest, refresh,
and renew our minds and hearts so we can be used by the Lord to serve others.
But when the focus becomes skewed to being all about me and
what I want instead of spending time communing with the Lord
and preparing myself to serve Him and others, I have things out of balance.
Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.”
I had a much better afternoon when I got the focus off of my own whining
and back on serving in the ways to which the Lord has called me.
Is your joy abounding or do you need to find it? Is it time to ask the Lord to restore your joy?
I would love to hear from you how you find your joy when life gets out of balance and focus,
or to pray with you about finding your joy in the Lord.
I’m glad that I allowed the Lord to restore my joyful heart for home and serving others!
Pam