garychester.org blog12/26/08
I know three people who are as internally joyous as anyone I know. My wife, her Mom, and my sister. (And before he died, my wife's Dad)
Here's their secret. These family members incessantly help others. And they are constantly in good fellowship with their friends.
Helping others involves being sensitive to those around them who are in need of a leg up - some of them friends; others, strangers. For instance, my wife is regularly checking on and mentoring a younger woman from a dysfunctional background who wants practical advice about husband and kids. My wife's Mom regularly cooks for the sick in town.
Being constantly in fellowship with their friends involves card games, biking jaunts, walks, and meals. They are regularly engaging others in fun activities.
Did I mention these loved ones of mine also regularly get alone by themselves with God's sure and true Word, the Bible? They do this to saturate themselves with his hope and truth. This quiet time is foundational to their joy. It is the source of their inner power.
And guess what? The joy of these ladies is contagious to me personally. I try to emulate them. And while emulating them, I discover a cure for my innate tendency toward depression that I inherited from my Father and Mother.
I see from scriptures that the life style of these ladies, in a sense, was that of Jesus (excluding, of course, his performance of miracles) - blessing others, communing with his confidants, and getting alone with his Father. And if this life style is good enough for the One from whom I get life, then it is a good strategy for me, too.
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