The Joy Factor

Lately (for the past 2+ years), when I am feeling bummed with life, I go visit the triplets. Nephews and niece that graced the world with their births and they continue to be a blessing. I can say this as their aunt.....I don't have to live with them. BUT I probably would, if I could.

They were slightly preemie. They came home and it always seemed like at least one needed to be eating. What a bonus though. Instead of all of us fawning over one baby.....3 of us would get to hold a baby during a visit. It seemed like that stage would last forever. It didn't.

It seemed like they would be happy staying within those cushioned "walls" of the wrap around couch. It wasn't. They learned that there was a whole world waiting to be explored beyond the couch.

I know kids experience and give joy. I'm sure my kids have (and still do!). However, maybe I'm just paying closer attention to the triplets because our kids are older.

I love to watch the triplets learn something for the first time...and then repeat it....even days later. They are such little copycats with repeating the words and phrases we say.

I want to learn to copycat some of their ways though. The way they experience the world....fresh each day. The content feeling they have just snuggling on a lap. The joy they get from learning OR just having fun. Spinning for no reason other than it makes people laugh as they topple over.

Kids have a joy factor that we can only hope to copy. If the world or circumstances don't prevent it, that joy can stay for a long time. I pray that we adults can find that joy that sometimes hides beneath our responsibilities.

Join me for a spin and topple?  :)

Romans 12:11-12 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Finally found a way to describe it.....pain...and joy

Jeremiah 31:13 (NIV) Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

Let's face it, sometimes OK maybe a lot of times, emotions suck (for lack of a better term). Especially the down ones. It is SO easy to get overwhelmed and let emotions and feelings run over logic that things will more than likely be better tomorrow. Sometimes a nap is necessary. I knew that things were starting to crowd in on me again. I've ignored it. Worked around it. Found other things to do....but the feelings nagged on. A lot of the sadness I've been feeling isn't really even MY sadness. I've been surrounded by things affecting other people that I feel sad about.....and in a round about way guilty because deep down I think I feel relieved it's not me going through it.

This evening I finally found a nice seat on some tree roots while hubby was out with kids in the boat. It was a nice area with trees all around and no houses. Not a lot of noise other than the occasional boat buzzing by. I enjoyed looking at rocks/pebbles and the varying shapes and colors and how firm they are. I finally let myself breathe and feel. And I found a good way to describe it......

At Michigan Adventure in the kids area or at most water parks, there is the big bucket of water that eventually tips and everybody standing under it gets wet. It takes a little while to fill (those constant feelings filling the bucket), the bell sounds (overwhelming feeling), and the bucket tips (the tears fall).

I also came to the conclusion that maybe we experience pain so we appreciate joy. Through the pain, we can remind ourselves that God IS STILL God, even in the middle of the darkest times. I once heard that when we go through fire, God doesn't leave us there and go wait on the other side. He walks through the fire with us.

Many times our pain does have purpose. Pain and sadness can bring people together to support each other. We can't always see the purpose at the time. A lot of times the purpose becomes clearer in hindsight.

May we not try to avoid or ignore pain, but be aware of how we can lean on God through it. Get past the emotion and on to the fact that we are loved beyond our imagination.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."