Joy!

This is something I've been pondering for a long time.   There are those lovely moments in life that are so delightful that you can't help but smile.   They almost always occur when I least expect it.   I remember the day my elderly neighbor grinned and told me his secret:  "Daisy and I got married in Laughlin last week."    Daisy was a sweet old lady who lived a couple doors down.    It was the kind of joy that makes me laugh even now when I think about it.   The look on his face, the comedy of two old people enjoying a new romance -- it was joy!   It's no wonder C.S. Lewis entitled one of his books "Surprised by Joy."   Yes, there is more to the story, but you'll have to read that one for yourself.  

Have you ever tried to find joy when you're down?  Here we are in a tough economy with many folks struggling.   Many of our friends and family are in the midst of health crises.   How do I find joy in all this?    I try  to recapture that flighty feeling and I just can't seem to recreate it.   It's like chasing a squirrel -- the harder I chase it the faster it runs away from me.    What did James mean when he said "Consider it all joy.... when you encounter trials of many kinds?"

I read somewhere recently that you cannot find joy by searching for joy.   You can only find joy by seeking God.    I like that.   It means that wherever I find God, I can also find joy.   I can see God at work in my mom's life, even though she has kidney cancer.   Her pastor is doing a sermon series on the topic "What would you do if you only had one month to live."    Amazing.   My brother took her to lunch, and the owner of her favorite restaurant got a run-down on all the things she's not allowed to eat due to her diabetes and other health concerns.    So when my mom comes in, and the owner shakes her finger and says, "No sugar, no flour tortillas for my best customer!" with a big grin on her face, it is hilarious, and we're all laughing.   Joy!   

It's the combination of knowing deeply that God is in the middle of the crisis with us, and the surprise of the little details that only love can provide.