What brings you joy?
Seriously. What are a few things that bring you joy? Is it being with friends, a good cup of coffee, a sunrise, a giraffe, dancing, cooking, hunting, creating?
What brings you joy?
My challenge today is this: to do something that brings you joy just for the sake of it.
As Christians we’re able to enjoy life, to experience it deeply and openly. So do that today. Go for a run, get out some paints, make a chair. Do whatever is in your nature that brings you joy, and simply be in the presence of joy.
I’m going to cook. I’m going to get out the ingredients, a new recipe, some great music, and sit my son on the chair and we’ll cook together. And probably make a mess together, but we’ll find joy together.
So find joy today. And then this Sunday we’re going to journey together to hopefully discover how to find joy always. But why wait till Sunday?
Start finding joy today… and share with me what gives you joy?
Plattsville Church 
Hi Andrew, I just wanted to share what brought me joy this week and in the years past.Years ago the birth of my children brought me immense joy and 6 and 2 years ago seeing the birth of my grandchildren and being able to cut the cord in the delivery room was just out of this world.WOW. This week what brought me joy was having a really bad day. Our one employee left our house by ambulance with heart problems, then I took my granson to school and got the bumper of my car caught on a rod sticking out a cement curb that ripped my bumper off and wrecked my fender. Needless to say I was upset ,my car only being two years old.So I prayed about what to do knowing if I took it to a body shop it would be $1000. of more. The Lord gave me the name of an old family freind and he was able to fix it for $40., it has a few more screws in it but hardly visible.And are employee was out of the hospital that day with no heart damage . So PRAISE THE LORD. What JOy just in time for Christmas. Praise His Name.
Its so true about children and grandchildren bringing joy. There is something in them that just makes you feel wonderful and alive. Its amazing how when bad things happen, stuff can turn around and what originally was a stress becomes a reason for thanks. That’s probably something to remember when bad things happen and stress hits.
Joy at Christmas – one of my favourite memories does not centre around my family or my children, presents or trees, but comes from one of my “little ones” at church. Several years ago when she was just old enough to actually understand the children’s story at our Christmas Eve service – she heard about how Mary and Joseph had no place in Bethlehem and that Jesus was born in a stable. As she held my hand to go downstairs to put on her shepherd costume and participate in one of her first of many pageants, she said that if they came today they would not need to stay in a stable. Her mom and dad had a pull out couch in the basement and they would be welcome to come stay in their house. Simple – but she got the message that Christ needs to be welcome in our lives. I cannot hear that part of the story without hearing her simple, welcoming message and remember that we should be that welcoming all year long of Christ and his love.
That’s beautiful…Jesus says that we need be childlike to enter his Kingdom, and I think that story perfectly emphasizes why. And I’m sure Jesus would love to come and stay on a pull-out couch in any of our houses.