Three small things that bring me joy

Joy-bringers… today’s prompt… and what a beautiful one it is!

Hmmm, I strongly believe in the power of being grateful and so, for me, this one has so many possible responses…  To dwindle it down to just three, wow, now that’s a challenge. So, I’ve done what any Jesus loving girl might do and had a quick look at scriptures about joy, to give some direction to my choices.  And here they are…

The first one which came to mind, was, ‘The joy of the Lord is my strength’, but here’s the cool thing… that’s only part of the verse.  Let’s have a quick look at the full text…

“Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (NIV)

I love that this passage presents joy as both an outcome and a detailed instruction.  If we’re feeling depleted and ‘wrung out’ by life, where can we find new strength to push through and face our challenges?  In Jesus.  He’s the source of true joy.  It’s not merely a feeling, as happiness might be.  It’s a gift from the very One who loves us enough to have died in our place!  How special is that!

To appreciate this beautiful gift, what did Nehemiah suggest… good food and drinks (hooray!) and generosity (bringing some joy into the lives of others).  I don’t know about you, but a simple thing that brings me joy is peacefully enjoying a coffee at my favourite local cafe or having a meal with family and friends (make it a roast dinner… in front of a fire in Winter… with a glass of something nice in hand… and it will be all the more wonderful!).  Sharing the joy – giving to others – such a simple thing, which we often overcomplicate unnecessarily.  This week, a friend was moving house so when I popped some soup in my slow cooker that morning, I decided to drop some over to her that evening so she had one less job to do amongst her packing.  The soup was nothing spectacular – basic veges, some chicken and seasoning.  Simple but able to ‘fill a spot’ in her tummy after a long day.  Did I dish it up in fine china?  Nope.  A takeaway tub.  Like I said, simple.  I’m not sure about you, but I find it easy to make excuses (to give myself ‘reasons’) for not jumping in to be as hospitable as I could be.  So, I’m challenging myself right now, to embrace the ‘come as you are’ mantra, to invite without needing to have everything perfect, and to give without it being elaborate.  I hope that I can share a little more joy in plain everyday ways with those around me, to reflect Jesus’ heart and love for people and to bring some sunshine to their lives.

Now, the verse also talks about the Lord’s day and grief… but I’ll leave that for another day.  Moving on to my second thought… 

I find joy just being with Jesus.  As Psalm 16:11 says,

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore”.

One thing I really love, which brings me joy, is to explore the world, just dwelling in God’s presence.  What does that look like?  Perhaps, a walk in a forest, at the beach or around a lake.  Or, maybe something bigger, like travelling (in my local area, further afield in Australia, or overseas).  There’s just something about immersing oneself in God’s creation – the natural world, people of different cultures, and even architecture and food (which shows that we really are designed in His image, as humans are a creative bunch, aren’t we!).  Other more obviously spiritual ways of being in His presence are wonderful too – time spent just reading the Word and meditating on it, having a chat with the Lord in prayer, worshipping.  All joy-bringing, tank-filling moments for me.

And finally, laughter!  Oh how I love to hear my children giggle.  As some of you know, having followed my journey for a while, motherhood was a deep seated desire in my heart for a long time.  Over the past few years, I’ve been fostering gorgeous little people and it feels like my cup is truly overflowing (see Psalm 23:5 for more on that)!  God did indeed turn my mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11) and blessed me in the most wonderful ways with these little ones.  

What’s more… it’s true what they say, that ‘Laughter is the best medicine’ (see Proverbs 15:13 and 17:22).  So, if ever needing a lift, I love to do something which will cause me to laugh – reading some jokes or looking at funny memes, recounting humorous moments from mine and my sibling’s childhoods, having a giggle with some mates.  These things lift burdens, lighten loads and actually stimulate healthy chemical reactions in our bodies which bring life to our bones!  Cool, huh (that’s God’s handiwork, right there!).

Want to bring me some joy today – why not pop a comment down below, to share some of your own little joy bringers and what makes them so.  I look forward to reading them!  Have a glorious day! xx

Scripture references: The Holy Bible (several translations)

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