Nehemiah 8:10" For the Joy of the Lord is my strength". Claire Cloninger describes this verse with a story about a river rafting trip taken by her husband. He heard a lot of laughter from the raft behind him. He turned just in time to see a large raft filled to overflowing with youngsters madly paddling. They were down's syndrome kids out for a joyous day of rafting on the rivers uninhibited with joy rarely seen. They were living in the moment.
Joy does not mean you will not have challenges, it is the ability to have joy through the challenges of life. We could learn a lot from watching these children.
Mark and I have always had a soft spot for children with challenges. We always give toys or jewelry to children at our shows. We are delighted at their reactions, but the best reactions often come from children with challenges. I saw a young lady with down's syndrome looking at our booth. She love all of the colors and told me that she like the way I decorated. I thanked her and told that "she got it". She understood the appeal of using the colors like I do. I did not want to give her a toy because she was too old, so, I gave her a small pink alabaster dolphin. She was so pleased with the small gift that her face lit up. Her mother told me that she collects dolphins and she told me that dolphins were her team mascot. She walked away still talking about my booth and her dolphin. It takes so little to make children happy. Some time God allows me a moment.
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
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