| Psalm 47:1 – “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” |
Is there anything more beautiful – or contagious – than the laughter of a small child? Something happens to most babies around nine months of age where it seems they discover their ‘giggle box’ as my mom used to call it, and they find everything hilariously amusing. It is almost impossible to hear their squeals of joy and not join them. Some babies laugh so hard they almost fall over.
I remember when my granddaughter was about this age. I was holding her in my lap and my daughter was making funny faces at her from across the room. Giggles filled the air, and my heart exploded with joy. But there are other times we experience joy with our children – when they learn to walk or talk or are discovering the wonders of nature and creation. The first time they really smell a flower or experience a new food that they love, when they accomplish a task all by themselves or hand you a picture they have colored: there is joy in the discovering, joy in the sharing.
When we think about God and all that he has done for us, what is our emotion? Do we even really think about it much at all? How many of us ever sit back, close our eyes, and let our hearts be filled with pure joy? When someone looks at us, do they see anything in our face that separates us from the crowd? Is there joy in our lives that is bubbling forth like giggles from a toddler, and so contagious the whole room experiences it?
I know that it is easy to be caught up in the daily drama of our lives and to not feel overly joyful at times. Life can be hard with sadness and sorrow, fears of the future or grief for what is lost. But God wants our lives to be filled with the joy of his faithfulness to us, and to share that joy with others.
Clap your hands – shout for joy – for all he has done for us in the past, and for all he will do for us in the future and throughout eternity.
Prayer: Dear Father, forgive me for the times I do not express my thankfulness and joy to you. You have provided for me more than I could ever deserve, and for that I am grateful. Let the joy of my salvation fill my life and spill over into the lives of others. Amen.
– Betty Gossell
