J-O-Y- . . . Joy

As mentioned in the other post from today, LB is out of school. I have 4 kids here at the house today - 2 of my own and 2 that are like my own. When LB is here, those maternal instincts she has at 6 go into full gear!!! Usually that is a good thing, but sometimes it is not. While her heart is in the right place concerning our visitors, her actions toward her brother are not as good.
I had to have "a talk" with her today because she really hurt Carter's feelings while she was making sure our guests were having a good time. When we had our talk, I could tell it upset her because she began to cry. Out of somewhere, I taught her about JOY.

I asked her if she was happy right now to which she replied no. I told her God wanted her to be happy - to have JOY in all she did. I then told her God had a plan for her to follow to always have JOY. "J" stands for "Jesus" - who is always first and who we should always try to be like. "O" is for "others." They go next. We should do what is best for them and what would make them happy. "Y" is for "yourself" which is always last. When you put Jesus and others ahead of you, you will always have JOY. I had her repeat the plan and she said she would try to follow the plan. It was amazing how the attitudes changed after the JOY talk.

Before I became a parent, I was worried how I would handle situations and if I would be able to teach my children God's truths in every day life. Each day I pray that God will grant me the wisdom to handle situations and the wisdom to pass His truths on to my children. Isn't it amazing how He speaks to us and gives us the words we need at the just the right time? What a wonderful God we serve.

May you be filled with JOY this day and every day.