Joy

⁴ For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;    I sing for joy at what your hands have done.-Psalm 92:4


From One Thousand Gifts:

Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given, never grasped.  God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given:  Joy.

If we go in search of joy, we will never find it.  You see, it finds us.  It finds us when we learn to live gratefully, moment by moment, gift by gift, blessing by blessing.  And it is something we have to learn and practice.  We cannot just jump into life and suddenly become grateful for the trials and difficulties of life.  We have to start out by being thankful for the hundreds of little blessings that come our way each day.


And no, it doesn't work to simply add to your bed-time prayer "Thank you God for the hundreds of little blessings of today."  Without naming our blessings individually we cannot have that deep-down-to-the-toes gratitude that brings the "realest reality" and real joy.


Joy comes to us wrapped in the wrapping of gratitude.  The more thankful we are, the better we can unwrap this gift we all long for... this gift we all search for in often misguided and even destructive ways.  Who'd have thought joy could be ours so easily?  Just unwrap the gift! 


Father,
Thank you for your gift of joy and abundant life.  Teach me how to unwrap it and accept it for my own.  Amen.


Joys:  Shady walking trails; little, happy houses with swing sets in the backyard; dinner out with my husband, our boys and their girlfriends, Cecelia and some friends... what a delightful evening!