“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NIV)
I think God allows us to be born as infants and grow slowly for many reasons. One of which I spoke about around Easter this year in the post titled, “The REAL Reason for Easter.” Basically that we need to learn obedience and have a chance to mature before we are ready to fulfill the destiny that God placed in our hearts before we were even born.
However, one of the other reasons I believe God allows us to be born as infants and slowly grow in a family is because Jesus lives with pure joy. I think He gives us the gift of children to remind us not to take life so seriously but instead to embrace the essence of joyful living.
I am reminded daily by all three of our children to let go of the “serious” of life and just relish in the great moments. The moments that if you don’t look up from your phone or push away from your computer you will miss because they are spontaneous, incredible and fleeting.
Children’s faces are barometers of their emotions. Every day when I pick up our littlest, I wait to see what face will greet me. Most days I hear, “This was the BEST day ever” and then he proceeds to tell me why… it could be as simple as getting his favorite book from the library, to something more special like having his beloved children’s pastor come to his classroom and read to the entire class after fist bumping and hugging him personally. It could be because he got to chew gum or his teacher brought in donut holes or he was the special person or… Rarely is it about grades or performance. It usually has something to do with a relationship he has with someone or getting to do his favorite activity.
Our oldest two might not quite declare it with as much enthusiasm or volume, but they also express their joy for life, sometimes for accomplishments but also mainly centered around relationships and favorite activities.
What a great reminder for this way to often, too focused on goals momma. I’m continually learning to balance a little more. Stepping away from the computer after working for an adequate amount of time, finding a stopping point and then letting go, choosing to enjoy my family or friends or at other times, a favorite alone activity.
There will always be more work that needs my attention. The to-do list might shrink, but it will never disappear. Even after 12 loads of laundry yesterday, by last night the tubs were filling up again with more dirty clothes waiting their turn in the washing machine.
I might start stealing the phrase from our littlest and declaring each day, “the BEST day ever” as a reminder to find something joyful to focus on. After all, He has given me another chance to laugh and enjoy the life He has given me.
© Cheri Swalwell 2016