Joyful Heart

In December, as Christmas day draws nearer, there is an anticipation.

Each December, we enjoy our activity countdown to Christmas- sometimes on a countdown chain, sometimes tucked inside our advent nativity calendar. 

We look forward to crafts…

an annual family game…

singing carols…

completing our nightly star chart…

and making yummy Christmas treats!

Is our family simply looking forward to the gifts, the special holiday treats, sights of Christmas lights strung from the housetops and on trees, a time off from regular school work, enjoyable activities and crafts as a family, a chance to be with family and friends? 

Those are all good things.  And so, from the outside one might say, ‘Yes. They are just making memories!’  We do pray that these young minds and hearts are developing precious memories to carry with them as they age, but also SO MUCH MORE.  We desire for there to be depth to our childrens’ memories – looking past the actual crafts with the shimmering glitter and splattered paint, through the yummy Christmas treat experiments, around the daily countdown, over the gifts that begin to appear beneath the tree ….. and straight to the cross.

For, in the midst of all the activity, we try to focus on the ‘why’ of the season. 
Why do we celebrate Christmas? 
Why is there so much fuss over the coming of one certain day each year? 

Because in the midst of a dark world, God chose to send His Son to bring us Light
– to BE the Light.
While we were darkened and trapped by our rebellion and sins,
God sent His One and Only Son into the world to redeem us
– to save us from our sins.

No, the Bible doesn’t tell us that Jesus was born on December 25.  But, we take this time to reflect on the humble birth of our heavenly King, the LIGHT of the world.  He is the GIFT, the PROMISE that everyone in the Jewish world was anticipating, and the HOPE that our hearts and souls desperately need. 

The Light for a dark world…

1 John 1:9
The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

 
May we set our hearts on Him.

Isaiah 60:1-3

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
   and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
   and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
   and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
   and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Over the last few weeks, I have witnessed more and more arguing and fighting over small matters between my children – whether it be over sharing a toy, choosing a video that they all would watch, whose turn it was to do something, and even arguing with instructions given by me.  This morning, I was overjoyed when God pointed out a verse to me from His Word to share with them…

Proverbs 17:14
Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam. 
So drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

My oldest had the opportunity to practice her dictionary skills as she and the other kids wondered what some of the words meant.  We talked about what it meant to quarrel, to dispute, what a dam is, and learned about the word breached.

• quarrel: verbal disagreement between individuals or a group, to make
  complaint or find fault
• dispute: to quarrel or fight about; to quarrel angrily; to wrangle
• dam: a barrier to stop the flow of water, built across a stream or river
• breach: to break; a rupture; a gap made in a wall; a severance in friendly relations

Then I shared with them a visual…
What does a dam look like and what happens when it is breached?

A simulation of a dam breaking
Real footage of the aftermath from a dam breaking.

They were amazed that a small hole in the dam could be so powerful and have such a large effect!  Our words and how we choose to respond, act the same way.  We can choose to be peacemakers.

And of course, I couldn’t help but put the verse to a tune so we could all sing it…

Joyful Heart Tune – Proverbs 17:14

I was so excited to get to share this with the children.  It seemed to really make sense to them!

Thank you Lord for this clear illustration from Your Word!

Oh, how I wish that could be said of me!

Instead, God is allowing me to see this much needed trait through the sweet, sweet spirit  of our oldest child.  She has been experiencing quite a few off and on headaches since June, with an almost constant headache for the past two months.  Has she complained and moaned about how bad her head hurts?  No.  She continues with her schoolwork and play, rarely mentioning her pain.  However, if we ask her how her head is feeling, she says, “It hurts.”  “How long has it been hurting?”  “All day,” she says and then returns to what she was doing.  We just recently had an MRI done and it was discovered that she has “Severe Left Sphenoid Sinusitis” infection.  She is now on antibiotics and they are hopeful that by the end of the third week, her headaches will subside.  I am pleased to say that she has handled herself so well as she has had to visit doctors, have blood work taken, and then had the MRI done.

I truly think she is well on her way to hiding Philippians 2:14 into her heart and mind.   ”Do everything without complaining and arguing.”

Maybe I could learn a few things from this sweet child that God has blessed us with.  Thank You, Lord.

Who says young children can’t begin to hide God’s Word in their hearts and minds?  Moments like these bring great joy to my heart as I hear and see my little ones joyfully singing God’s Word!

Our just turned two year old has been bringing the Joyful Hearts Tune binder to her siblings and I multiple times throughout the day.  There have been instances when I have been washing dishes and she’ll come up to me, hold out the binder, and ask with a spark in her eyes, “Sing mommy?”  How can I resist a moment to sit down and share in singing God’s Word with my littlest one?  I can’t!

Thank you, Lord, for the sweet, sweet, sound of children’s voices.

Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

If you could only hear and see our 2 1/2 year old sing this verse!  Her facial expressions are priceless as she sings with a happy heart and wide, gleeful eyes.  No matter how long and hard the day, singing God’s word brings joy to a weary heart.  A joyful heart truly is good medicine.  May we take an ample dose each day.