Hey blog friends!
This is my nephew Owen – isn’t he cute!
My family back in England just went on a week long vacation in a really pretty part of the UK. This is one of the holiday snapshots – Owen having a total blast on a swing! When I look at this photo I love how much JOY is in his heart and shining out of his face.
As we grow up, do we lose that child-like joy? The Bible tells us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength”. Yet many of us are stressed out by modern day, fast paced life and all the problems and pain it throws at us. I believe God offers us a joy that transcends all the struggles of life – a peaceful lightness that can only come from Him and His supernatural love.
I want to be more like Owen…. I want to “grow down” rather than always trying to “grow up” – children often have much more wisdom! They live in the moment, they wear their hearts on their sleeves, and they know how to jump on a swing and feel the excitment and the adrenaline, celebrating the experience with a huge smile.
May we all find that deep, unshakeable joy that God alone can give, and may we live in the moment, shining with the excitement of walking with Him. He gives a “peace that passes/transcends all understanding” so its not a peace that comes when life logically makes sense and everything is going well. Its a peace that is above and beyond the circumstances of life. Joy is not happiness. Happiness is a feeling, like the foaming waves on the ocean’s surface, Joy is like the deep still waters on the oceans floor that remain calm and beautifully still whatever may be happening on the surface above. So whatever you are going through right now, know that He offers that peace and deep joy to you, to me, to all of us.
Love,
Vicky
