Joy

And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

John 16:22

Never let anyone steal your joy.

Mike Richards

Joy is defined as an emotion of great happiness. I think nobody represented this greater than my dad. Always in good spirits even when he felt bad. A person can only make you feel bad if you let him. If you seen him out, he had a smile on his face. Never meeting a stranger did he. A person may see him out somewhere, and he always walked up to them first. Life is too short to let it get you down. Place it in God's hands was his words of wisdom. Let God do the worrying for you. This joy bubbled over to everyone he met.

He was a morning person. Getting up in a good mood. I, on the other hand, got up like I was rising from the dead. Good morning, sunshine, he would laugh. I would just mumble something like I miss my bed or why does morning have to come so early. Always a teaser and practical joker at times.

My daughter tells me that she can't help but tease cause she's like her papaw. Often times he loved to tease little kids. Oh, how he used to love to pinch our cheeks when we were little to get sugar. Not hard or anything just teasing like. He was never mean or cruel with his teasing. For example, pretending to make a sound like a dog to a two year old. Asking him where that dog was at;laughing while the toddler looked everywhere for that dog.

He had great flexibility, strength, and stamina. Going down on one knee while holding his arms straight out. Going all the way down while holding the other leg out in front of him. Still can't do it myself. Laughed to no end watching me try.

In the pulpit, he liked to mix in a little humor from time to time. He took situations and turned them around with humor. One Sunday morning, a little boy just kept throwing a temper tantrum during one of his sermons. Every time he tried to speak the boy got louder. The mother had finally had enough and picked the boy up. Taking her son out of the auditorium. The whole congregation turned and stared at the woman leaving with the boy. The child looking back at everyone. You could hear everyone whispering about why does she allow her child to act like that and so on. My dad saw an opportunity to lighten the mood and bring everyone back to the sermon. He smiled that warm smile. Getting tickled before he even spoke.

Let me tell you a story of a little boy just like that. Everyone listened expecting to hear something very serious. In the story he told of the little boy acting up in church and the mother carrying him out. He said,"As the little boy looked back at the people with a sad look. He spoke these words. Y'all pray for me; you hear." The congregation began to laugh. With that small chance, he turned everything around with his wit.

Doctors say laughter is the best medicine. It relieves stress and helps you live longer. My father lived a long full life. His life was not without sorrow though. But when he went to Christ the joy that no one can steal came back to his heart.

C.S.Lewis is quoted as saying,"Joy is the serious business of Heaven." I think he personified that very much in his lifetime.
by
Lance Gargus

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