Learning To Have Joy

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

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:11,12

There are some days I definitely don't feel very joyful. Some days, like the recent Thanksgiving festivities, are easy to be joyful in. But then there are days like yesterday and today where I'm not feeling the best, and all I really want to do is crawl back into bed and put my head under the covers. It's hard to find joy on these days. The alarm was not a welcome thing this morning, and apparently I'm not the only one as my daughter is a bit on the droopy side as well. As we're both going about our morning, regretting the fact that it's morning, Zander wakes up.

And then we're reminded to have joy in this new day. Regardless of how much sleep he's had, or what time he wakes, Zander always wakes up with a smile on his face. He walks down the stairs happy, smiling, and ready to give everyone he finds a big hug to start off his day. The joy of a little boy is infectious and contagious. I can see his thoughts as he wakes and thinks about all the fun he'll have today, and then he scrambles out of bed because he thinks about Mommy and Abigail and wants to see those he loves. He can be such a wonder to me, he finds joy in the smallest thing. He will find a toy under the couch that he lost last week and shout for joy and play with that toy like it's brand new. It begins to snow outside, very briefly, and he lights up and does a happy snow dance. Or he'll lay under the newly up Christmas tree and examine the look from below.

Joy through the eyes of a child. Every day is joyful. Why? Because it's new. Because it's a new opportunity to love- an opportunity to love those around us and to share God's love with them. It's a wonderful thing that God gave us the morning, that we get the opportunity each and every day to simply begin again. He could have easily made us 24 hour creatures, to go non-stop with no break. But he gave us the need for sleep so that we can close our eyes on one day and begin a new one a few hours later. A fresh, clean start that begins with joy.

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23