Monday, October 9, 2017

{ JOY }

I absolutely love how God works!

This might get lengthy,  because I'm not good at making a "long story short", so here goes.....

So, if you follow me on Facebook, you know about my visit to a local Wal-Mart, one that I don't normally visit.  This particular Wal-Mart was extremely crowded and I don't do too well in crowds. As part of our Ladies Bible study at church, Fight Back With Joy, I decided to just smile at everybody I saw. Y'all, out of about 20 people I gave a smile to, there were maybe 2 who smiled back and needless to say, my joy bubble somewhat fizzled. A couple of people left comments that helped me to put the situation in a better perspective, that maybe later on they thought about that old gray-haired lady smiling at them and it brought them some joy (those weren't the exact words of my friends....😉).

Now fast forward to this morning.....
I was driving back from Jefferson City and turned the radio on just in time to hear the last part of a message by Dr. David Jeremiah.....
and you know what it was about?
JOY, Y'all!
(here's the link)

One of the things brought out in our study yesterday was that we need to will ourselves to celebrate in spite of the situation we're in.  Now, I realize that's not the easiest thing to do, depending on what's going on in our life.....
and at times it just seems impossible.
But here's a statement Dr. Jeremiah made that hit me like a ton of bricks.....

"Joy is contagious and to catch the infection you have to expose yourself to the virus and become part of the blessed epidemic. Find joyful people, hang out with joyful people, become a part of the  epidemic, catch the virus. Get infected with the joy of Jesus Christ."

Prior to that statement, he spoke about how we NEED each other, we need to be around other Christians. Now, I'm going to ask you to back up with me to this morning because I have a friend who is struggling with life....with their faith. I sent them a text during my Bible time this morning telling them practically the same thing.  My words were "you NEED to have Christian  believers around you for you to feed from."

Y'all, that ain't even the end of this novel.
When I got home and checked my e-mail, I had a refund from Wal-Mart for an on-line purchase I made because the product was a cheaper price in the store.  I just felt like God was smiling on me whether those other folks did or not!

Ain't God Good?
Oh, yes He is!!!


12 comments:

  1. Yes He is a good, good Father Deb, even on our worst day. I love what David Jeremiah said and I may just have to use this my friend. I can handle the NO Smiles much, much better than I can the rudeness. That's where I have to pray and I mean PRAY! But If I walked by you in Walmart I'd smile!!!! And TALK! LOL! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  2. What a wonderful Father we serve! Thank you for sharing the joy my friend. Have a day of blessings dear Debbie.

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  3. I always, always recognize the clerks by their name tags...like, "Oh, Hello Christy". The majority of them do smile and make small talk...now, when they see me coming, its, "Hello Linda!!!" My husband is like, "Why bother?" WHY BOTHER?????? REALLY!!!!!????? Anyways--it brings such joy when I can see others smile and relax, knowing how busy their days are...I use to work in retail...anyways, great post, Deb. God is good, indeed. smiles

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  4. Amen! You were blessed, Debbie! Keep smiling!

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  5. God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. A smile can make a person's day and even if they dont smile back, you did what you could. Good post my friend, good post.

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  6. God is SO good!! What a great post for us today! You brought me much JOY!!

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  7. Yes, God IS good, all the time good!! Just keep smiling and eventually the world WILL smile with you!! You go right ahead and spread JOY wherever you go, because this world needs more JOY. You've made me smile this morning just reading this. Thank you!!!!

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  8. Yes He is!!! You go right ahead and smile at everyone you see. You can't make others smile back, but you can make you're little piece of the world a little more joyful.

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  9. Isn't it wonderful how the Lord gives us confirmations everywhere when a thought from him has been impressed on us!

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  10. Nice post and yes God gives us a lot of confirmation if we are looking :)
    Sometimes I have not smiled back because the person caught me by surprise. Then when they are gone I begin to smile but it's too late they passed on by. So many times it's just that people have other things on their mind and are not really looking at others or concentrating enough to know to smile. Sounds odd and I am probably not explaining it right.
    But most people do appreciate it and mention it. I know I have. Oh, that sweet lady smiled at me but I didn't have a chance for it to register and smile back. Hope that helps.

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  11. He sure is good! We have talked about this at GLOW, how being around other Christians lifts our spirits and always will put a smile on your face. I think it gives us confidence and courage to face the world (and the people of the world) with a smile. If they don't smile back, it's their loss...but I think that maybe sometimes along the way they remember the JOY you shared. He wants us to let our light shine..our light is our JOY!

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  12. One of the true treasures the thief comes to steal! Love you Deb, your friend Rhonda, From Arkansas USA

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Kind words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 16:24