Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Joyous Heart

There is nothing greater than to find a person to talk to who has a joy in his heart that permeates the entire room. Such a person will lift your spirits and give you such a good feeling that you hate to even think of being blue. Any idea of being in a bad mood simply fades as your new found friend, whether you have known him for years or not, brightens your entire day.

Anyone else noticed that before? Well, maybe it is just me.

I believe, however, that all of us find some type of pick-me-up out of those people who have a natural gift for being joyous. A person with sch a gift is most definitely deserving of my praise. It is rare, but I am not sure this is an innate gift, one that is born into an individual, as it is a learned gift, one that we all can obtain.

James tells us in his first chapter to consider it great joy to be persecuted. If we can consider it something, we must be able to obtain it. If we can consider joy, then all of us can obtain a joy in our hearts.

The word joy is an unique one. It implies a happiness regardless of the circumstances. For us to be joyous during trying times as James suggests, we must be talking about something more powerful than simple happiness. We must be living in a place where we are content to be regardless of our destiny.

I can only see one place where that scenario might exist. That is living in the light of Christ. Once we let our bodies and our souls be warmed and comforted by the light given off by Jesus, we find ourselves not caring about the other items in our life. Finding that comfort level and installing our hearts there will make us one of those people who always seems to be filled with joy.

The best testimony we can give is to let the joy of living in Christ's light be our beacon. Once we begin to show what Christ has done for us, others will desire our joy as well. Perhaps that was what God had in mind all along.

Allen

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I've definitely noticed folks who are infectious and light up a room. I've also noticed that some of those same people can have days when they are just as down as they are up on other days. We need to remember to give encouragement to those folks even though it seems they have it all together.

Every time I hear a lesson on reflecting the joy and light of Christ I'm reminded of the time Moses returned from the mountain and wore a veil because the afterglow was so bright.

Let's all remember to stay plugged in and charged up with Christ the ultimate power source!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reminder. Needed that. Your words are also applicable to when feeling shy, inadequate, unloved, weak, and any other times when we aren't up-to-par.