painted joy

africa’s kids. one of the wonders of the world. they seem to capture people, far and near. standing three feet away, or caught by a camera, the image of these children strike the heart. though most are born into poverty, their outlook on life is still that of any child around the world. they play, laugh, sing, and clap their hands, yearning for any sort of entertainment. it is a pleasure to see them in action. diving into play mode, the atmosphere around them is painted with the color of happiness. their shrieks of laughter resound louder than a thousand choruses, the smiles they exhort speak volumes. i have been spending time at a school in the slums. kids are everywhere. as a student rings the recess bell, hundreds of footsteps can be heard stampeding across the schoolyard. their voices are ones of pure joy, they let all worries and troubles flow off of them in this place. and indeed its a place of much security for these kids. the outside world for them is dangerous and unknown. with questions of where the next food will come from, are they going to be safe in the night, where will they get their next small income…? torn shoes, holes in their trousers, tattered shirts, dirty hands and feet. all these things to carry, to be placed upon the precious shoulders of these tiny kids. its not fair. yet somehow, they manage to still be joyful. their worldly possessions are little to nothing. still they smile. still they show incredible, unhindered love. yes, there are times when i can see a wave of sadness wash over their faces, but in truth, for all that they have been through they show enormous strength and courage. its as if a joy really lives in them. and the only joy that i know of is that of Christ Jesus, our Lord, our Savior. He has deeply rooted this content, happy, trusting joy within them. its amazing to the fullness of it brimming out of their bodies and into those around them. its contagious….then, i hold a picture of my own life in one hand, and a picture of theirs in another hand. under the worlds scrutiny my life own is more appealing .  if i were to put those lives (based on worldly possessions) on a scale, mine would far outweigh the other. why then, do i not have a joy such as theirs? i wish, oh how i wish! to be infiltrated with what they have. not in material things, but in the contentment of Christ, the happiness, the trust, the JOY. they have found the key,completed with trusting in their faithful Daddy. i have so much, but so often i forget what i have. when i look through the eyes of Jesus, their life is fuller than my own. because of the riches that they have found, not in possessions, but in Christ. they have sought something deeper, something of value, something worth giving everything to find. i want that. i want that childlike, heart piercing joy. Jesus even says in matthew 18:3 “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  this goes to show that even though we may have every”thing” that the world could desire, there is something far better. He is Jesus, Satisfier . i want to go through my days being delighted and overjoyed that He is my Daddy. He is worth having loosing it all for. one of my favorite parables is the one about the man who sold everything to find a great pearl…that pearl being the Father. matthew 13… ⁴⁵ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. ⁴⁶ When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” Christ is worth everything. He is the answer to our worries, to our troubles, to our joy. we could own everything, yet have nothing if we do not have Him. Jesus, make us as little children, not ashamed, and not afraid to take you by the hand and trust you with our lives. You are, indeed, worth it all…instill within us your satisfying joy…

from philippians 3 -

⁷But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him…