Joy

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness you give to others." I  have recently been thinking about joy and how it relates to prayer.....

When I think of joyful people in my life, I  am sad to say that only a few come to mind.  But, when I think about those particular people, I think about how their joy and happiness seem to permeate me and make me feel the same. I love being around those people. Another thing I have come to notice about joyful people is that just because they are joyful, doesn't mean they are disconnected from the burdens and negative situations. In some cases that might be true, but they do experience disappointment and they are burdened by the struggles in their lives and the lives of the people close to them. But in my eyes, they are truly the people who live out Romans 12:15. They "rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." They are selfless and are in tune with the struggles of life that their loved ones are going through. They pray for them, love them and support them, no matter the cost or convenience to them.

I have been praying, for awhile now, about a situation and have been asking God to really have His way with it. It has been amazing to see what God has done with that situation, from start to finish. God is so good and His ways are so perfect. He is faithful to provide. Even though the situation does not directly involve me, I felt joy because of what God has done in the lives of the people I have been praying for.

When I think of the people in my life who are consistently joyful, my prayer is that one day I will be one of those people to someone else. I pray that my walk with God is that intimate where I can experience joy from other people's joy and answered prayers. To pray for people, to rejoice with them, to mourn with them, that is why I have the relationships that I do. Too often I focus on what I receive or how I feel from friendships and relationships, but what a sweeter way to live if I was simply pleased by what I gave to the relationships... when I give of myself and that is enough.