Choosing Joy...

I was convicted by this passage in The Return of The Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen (an amazing author - loved the book, The Only Necessary Thing!) In J's line of work, we are often confronted with the injustices, painfulness, and difficult things of this world. While seeking to do something about these things to restore the world to the way God intended for it to be, we must also choose joy, which can be ever so difficult at times and so natural at others.

"People who have come to know the joy of God do not deny the darkness, but they choose not to live in it. They claim that the light that shines in darkness can be trusted more than the darkness itself and a bit of light can dispel a lot of darkness. They point each other to flashes of light here and there, and remind each other that they reveal the hidden but real presence of God. They discover that there are people who heal each other's wounds, forgive each other's offenses, share their posessions, foster the spirit of community, celebrate the gifts they have received and live in constant anticipation of the full manifestation of God's glory.
Every moment of each day I have the chance to choose between cynicism and joy. Every thought I have can be cynical or joyful. Every word I speak can be cynical or joyful. Every action can be cynical or jpyful. Increasingly I am aware of all these possible choices and increasingly I discover that every choice for joy in turn reveals more joy and offers morereason to make life a true celebration in the house of the Father" p.118.

Children are so good at finding joy in quite simple things. These pictures show mine finding joy in running through sprinklers, impromptu ring-around-the-rosey, buckets of water, and the dearest of friends.