A Little Recipe for Joy - November 30, 2009

Good Monday morning! Yurgh! The Monday after a good, long holiday; not the favorite day for many of us. We all have to get back to work. Do ya like how I'm including myself in this? :-) Okay, so my 'work' is right here and may not seem like real work to me. Praise the Lord for that! I do feel the God-given and God-driven urge to get back to it!

We have been going on with thanksgiving for a week or so now, what do we gain from this grateful attitude that the Holy Spirit develops in us? One thing we gain in our gratitude is more joy. We are joyful over the good things Christ provides, and the bad things cannot knock us off our joy. As we learn to be grateful for what we have, what we don't have cannot crack the walls of joy surrounding our hearts. Friends may at times disappoint us; all of us are human after all; but with a grateful attitude for having friends in the first place, we can forgive and have joy in the forgiveness. We too have caused our friends grief at times; how wonderful is the joy we gain from being forgiven?

What if you don't feel joy at the prospect of going back to work after a long weekend? Joy isn't a feeling like happiness that comes and goes. It is often said that joy is more than a feeling. Let's see if I can listen to the Holy Spirit and pass on a few things about joy.

Joy is knowing:

• A dash of happiness that shouldn't be there - we might feel happy when things look quite dark in life.
  
• A bit of eager anticipation - we know that Jesus will return soon and we eagerly anticipate His glorious return.
  
• A cup of optimism - we know the promise that all things work together for the good of those whom Christ has called.
  
• A jigger of peace - the storms may rage around us, but inside is the peace that only the Holy Spirit can bring.
  
• A helping of love - the world teaches us to be suspicious of strangers, but Jesus told us to love one another.
  
• A portion of generosity - we give because Christ gave to us. That feeling you get from giving and trusting in God is a part of joy.
  
• And a generous measure of Christ's love - we know that to be loved by the Almighty One is a joy to our hearts.
  

Dare I say, enjoy the day, knowing that you are beloved of the Creator of all things? Yes, enjoy the day and know the joy of Christ!

Bucky