joy

Do you ever wonder what you will be like when you are old? I went to the doctor today and sat next to a woman in the waiting room. I bet she was somewhere in her eighties. She was beautiful and unattractive all at the same time. She only had one arm and curly gray hair all stuck to the top of her head. She was arguing with her daughter sitting across the room about the medication she was on. They grumbled a bit, and her daughter rolled her eyes a bit, the usual relational stuff I guess. I was just struck by the old woman’s sourpuss face. Even after the medication disagreement was resolved and conversation got lighter the sour look stayed. The lines on her face prove to me that she had carried that look around for quite sometime. I have worked with the elderly and I must say that the majority has the same look. It caused me to ask the question "will I be that weary and bothered with life that a smile will be a thing of the past?" I know slowly loosing ones health is horrifying. But there must be something we can hold onto in our old age. Something in spite of our pain that makes us laugh. I am putting all of my hope in Jesus on this one. It is occurring to me that we need to diligently practice joy now, so that it is second nature when hard times come our way. Maybe this poor woman never chooses joy in her life. We are all so serious and tense. I don't know about you but I anticipate the worst sometimes before it ever comes. I need to let life come at me and laugh in its face. I need to love unabashedly. I need to smile at everyone! The love of Jesus radiating through my being... this is what is going to last.
"I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Habakkuk 3:18