The Joyful Poodle
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NIV)
While I am not especially fond of poodles, I do love happy dogs. They seem to smile and that makes my heart joyful. Dogs physically show us when they are happy and loved. How about people? I’d like to be more like that little dog and smile more just because Jesus loves me. Ashley Clark (All God’s Creatures) has a great message for all of us.
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Last night, I sneaked outside for a few moments in hopes of catching some holiday fireworks. My sweet son was sick with a fever bug, so we’d had to cancel our plans. As I spied the tips of the fireworks going off behind the trees, I had the most welcome surprise! A woman came by on the sidewalk, walking her enthusiastic little poodle named Sadie. As a dog lover, I immediately crouched down to give the poodle a few pets, and my gesture was happily welcomed by her.
In Sadie’s mind, we were now best friends. She jumped on me, gave me tiny dog licks, and even tried to come inside my home with me. What an unexpected joy she brought to my evening, especially on a night when other plans had been canceled.
As I walked away from that interaction, I was reminded of the power a joyful heart can bring. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes approach walking out my faith as a discipline—don’t do this or that in the pursuit of righteousness. But isn’t my faith so much more? When I trust God and experience the fullness of His presence, my joy should be overflowing onto others. Being joyful isn’t selfish. In fact, it’s one of the greatest forms of our witness!
None of us knows what another person is going through at any particular time, so I want to be prepared for all my daily interactions with others to be a gift and a blessing.
Walk of Faith: Do something today that will stir God’s joy in your heart and watch it spill over onto others.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of JOY! Show us how to use our joy to reach others and share Your Love. AMEN.