Monthly Devotional

Enjoy

April 2008

This is the day the lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

My friend Karen lives in a farmhouse near the small town of Waterford. Because her house isn’t completely finished according to her dreams, she is relaxed in how she lets her children play. Chalk drawings decorate the front steps leading into her two-story home. The grand living room is filled with children’s toys. On any given day, Karen and the kids are building tents or creating a fort out of cardboard boxes and having picnics in the living room. They move outdoors to play in the rain, fly kites, or go on nature walks to collect treasures. The treasures include grass and a few caterpillars to take residence in the indoor dollhouse. Summer days extend into evenings with bonfires, roasting marshmallows, and maybe even campouts. Karen and her kids stop to see a beautiful sunrise, sunset, full moon, or a rainbow.

Karen encourages joy by encouraging celebration and play. “When the kids were smaller, they loved it when I held them and danced around the house to the music—we'd twirl and step to a waltz or whatever. It was especially easy to run and dance in the living room back then because we had so little furniture—only a couch and a coffee table!”

Karen quoted the verse about when the Lord brought the captives back to Zion and their celebration. "We were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The lord has done great things for them." The lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." (Psalm 126:1-3)

“And we are filled with joy” Can your house, and your life be filled with joy? There is a time for everything-especially joy! (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4)

The Israelites commemorated special times and harvests. They celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of First Fruits, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Trumpets, and Feast of Tabernacles. What a beautiful example to follow. They gathered together for fellowship, food, and rejoicing. What about us? How can we learn to rejoice in today? How can we celebrate not only milestones, but moments?

One way is to listen to the wisdom of older friends and relatives who have gone before, who tell us to relax and "smell the roses." Then we can take joy in the journey instead of the destination. Joy along the way leads to appreciating smaller moments instead of stressing out whether we’ll arrive at our target. If we have the perspective to celebrate the little moments, we will look for joy.

 My friend Marci encourages me to look for joy.

If you look, every day there is always a little tiny piece of joy flying around. Some days, it's a friend who says or does just the right thing. Other days, it's the shape of your baby's little toes, the murmur of contented children, the tree outside your window, the sound of the school bus, a comment from a stranger, a smile. Find it, grab it, and treasure it-it's your little pick me up from God.

We can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary by seeing God's fingerprints. When a rainbow appears in the sky, we can point it out to those around us and say, "Thank you, God, for rainbows!” and help them see His handiwork. We can also bring joy by simple celebrations. Light a candle at dinner, smile at everyone you see at the mall, or play Dad’s favorite song when he walks in the door.

Enjoy your senses. My sister-in-law Caroline says, “Be present with your children. Watch their expressions. Inhale their scent. Listen to their babble. Delight in what they see. Feel the texture of their hair. Let time stand still and drink in the beauty of God through your children.”

That reminds me of those lists of "Things that Make Me Happy." Why not write your own? Consider all your senses: taste, touch, hearing, smelling, and seeing and doodle a list of things or draw a few sketches of things that just plain bring you joy.

• The first bite of crunchy ripe watermelon
• The smell of freshly cut grass
• The fuzzy interior of a new sweatshirt.
• A Cappuccino Crunch ice cream cone
• Seeing children holding hands
• Listening to the laughter of friends.

Choose joy each day. Sometimes my girls and I have trouble feeling joyful on mornings when we’re late and miss the bus. We’re all crabby on the drive to school and we break into song, "This is the day which the Lord has made,” and we rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24) Notice the verse says, "This is the day."

It could have been this is the week or the month or the year, but maybe that would have seemed overwhelming and unmanageable. We can handle one day at a time. Sometimes my husband asks me, "What kind of day are you going to have?" He reminds me that I can decide to have a good day, a day to rejoice. And when we’re not sure we have anything to feel joyful about, consider Psalm 31:7 “I am radiant with joy because of your mercy, for you have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis in my soul.” This verse reminds us that we can experience joy because God sees our needs and understands our sorrows.

Sing for joy. Write down a list of happy songs to sing unto the Lord. He likes to hear them and you'll be happier for singing them. "Sing to the lord a new song; sing to the lord, all the earth." (Psalm 96:1)

When I think of the possibilities for joy, I get excited and want to try them out. EnJOY each day of April and may it lead into a spring and summer filled with joy.

Now just as you have trusted Christ to save you, trust Him, too, for each day's problems; live in vital union with Him. Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. (Colossians 2: 6-7 LB)

 

Lord, let me find my joy in You and Your creation. Please give me a contented heart that overflows with thanksgiving and joy. Let the joy You supply overflow into the lives of others, so they, too, joyfully rejoice in everything.

Copyright © 2008 - Ann Marie Stewart. All rights reserved.

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