Create some joy!

Everyday this week I've arrived at my office to find a small gift waiting with an encouraging note attached. They're not expensive gifts. In fact yesterday's gift was just a rubber band in a bag. On the bag was written, "Thanks for stretching us with the truth of the Word, but not so far that we break!" It was a welcome positive note in a week when I have also had to deal with my share of critics and complainers. My prayer is that the act of giving brings as much joy to the giver as it does to me. Are you an encourager? Does your presence warm up the room or bring a chill? It really isn't all that hard to improve the emotional temperature of your home or workplace, but it does require some thought, a lot of forgetting about yourself, and some ability to sense the needs of those around you. The person who left the Almond Joy candy, the rubber band, and the notes.... made those little things mean a lot because she (yeah, I figured out who she is!) takes the time to give them a context of encouragement.

I cannot tell you how many times just the simple act of looking someone in the eye and asking, "So how are you really doing today?" has led to a meaningful conversation and provided me with the opportunity to encourage somebody. It's a mean world overall, where many of us are bruised by those do not think of us as 'real people,' but just as a functionary who provides a service. That waiter is not just a robot carrying plates of food to our table, she is a person with real problems. The boss is not just a person who writes memos, he is a man dealing with life. If we see those with whom we interact as real people instead of just somebody doing a job, we will allow for more humanity to come into our day to day lives.

Remember that movie, "Pay It Forward."? It is a story about a young boy who wants to change the world. His plan? Do what he can for those who are close to him to encourage them to succeed. When they attempt to pay him for his service, he asks only that they 'pay it forward.' The concept is simple. Be kind to someone, giving them the gift of joy. Accept no payment except the promise that they will, in turn, do the same for someone else. Cynics say it is silly and childish. I think differently. None of us can change the world, but we can bless those we will meet today with our words, our kindness, and an investment in their joy.

So, will you? Make it your mission today to create some joy!

"For this is the original message we heard: We should love each other. ... This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear." (1 John 3: 11, 16-17, The Message)