Infectious Joy

I was talking to a lovely friend who sent me this picture...which I should probably credit to Tom Hiddleston who posted on his twitter... because that will make half of you (the female half) grin even more.

Be so happy that when others see you they become happy

It reminded me of a small but profound insight I had completely forgotten (yet again - I'm sure I've come to this epiphany multiple times before). When I was a small child, I was REALLY HAPPY. Almost nothing fazed me and people just wanted to be around me (according to my mother). I retained that quality of optimism and joy for quite a while.... but somewhere in the mix I got derailed completely. At some point, life became a wild mix of trying to make everyone else happy and change the world. I still wanted to affect people positively, but it was complicated with how to best serve them, where to give my money, what causes to support, how to act in order to make everyone happy etc. I forgot that the secret to making people happy - is to BE HAPPY YOURSELF! Part of the power of thanksgiving and joy in Christianity - is the fact that people are drawn to and transformed by joyous people. It's kind of like Martha and Mary - only applied broadly. Jesus didn't need Martha stressing about how best to serve him - he needed MARTHA. And so it is with other people. I think sometimes we can best serve others by simply being content and joyful.

This is NOT to say you can't be sad or shouldn't be concerned about the world's problems. But with the news, the internet, and social media, I think it's ten times easier to take a heavier burden on yourself than God intended. After all, he promised a light and easy yoke! So it's my personal goal to worry less about the world's problems/evil and dwell more on God's goodness in specific ways... like how the sycamore tree causes the sun to be dappled in the morning, or how achingly wonderful the strings are in a particular song, or the strength in my legs as I run, or even silly things like the fact Tom Hiddleston posts memes like that on his twitter (and I don't even like him!) Hahaha. For we are to think on the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy, and excellent. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone was doing likewise?!

Joyfully yours,

Katie