The Laughing Christ :)

“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!" John 15:11

What I want to write about is too good to wait until the morning – it’s something I want to share with everyone! Something God has done in my heart that I could have never imagined.  I think I have laughed and smiled more in the past few weeks than I have ever! My parents always told me that I was the most joyful kid growing up, but somewhere through college I kind of lost that. Sure, I was happy. But I wasn’t truly joyous. There is a difference

In my walk with the Lord the past few weeks, I have experienced a joy I can’t even explain to you. I can’t put it into words. I can’t give specific examples. All I can tell you is that it is a feeling that nothing can take from me. It is the God of the universe living inside of me. But what changed? I’ve been a Christian a long time! It’s like every single day the Lord shows me more – He shows me more of His majesty, His presence, His greatness. I can’t get Him out of my mind. I can’t stop seeing His beauty through everything around me. I can't stop smiling. I have found passions in things I NEVER imagined. I like doing things that were once not too fun for me… Because I know that in everything I do now, I can glorify Christ through that. 

 Did you know that we were MEANT for joy? Christ WANTS to give us joy, yet so often we settle for comfort, and we look everywhere for it, whether it be in relationships, addictions, etc. But y'all, God wants to give you more than comfort. God wants to give you joy, a constant, never-ending joy, REGARDLESS of the circumstances. 

Why are we called to this? Well, first of all, why not? No matter what happens in this world, we can remain confident that after this life is over we will spend eternity in Heaven. If that’s not reason enough to jump out of your seat, I’m not sure what is! We get to live forever with our KING! Take a moment and let that blow your mind! Second of all, Jesus was (and IS) joy. Jesus was the EPITOME of joy. I think some people see God as some higher power that sits up there and judges our every move, and waits for us to do something wrong. But this is all wrong. No! “The real Jesus was a man of such merriment, such gladness of heart, such freedom and openness, that He proved irresistible. He became known through Galilee for His genuine strength, the sparkle in His eyes, the spring in His gait, the heartiness in His laugh, the genuineness of His touch; His passion, playfulness, excitement, and vitality: His JOY! He made a dazzling display of love. He set hearts afire. He was an elated, triumphant young man with an incredible quality of life . . . so different from the solemn religious types He constantly encountered...”

And to me that's all the reason I need to be joyful. Because Jesus represented joy, I will make the choice to as well. Despite my circumstances, conditions, environment, etc. I will make the decision to represent joy, and to glorify my King!

I love this picture. I’ve seen many depictions of Jesus, and this is by FAR my absolute favorite. (I must tell you that the teeth crack me up though in this pictures - those are some pretty amazing veneers). If you want a truly fulfilling and joyful life, choose Jesus! I'm not saying it's going to be easy. There will be times in your life that are truly painful. Being a Christian is not about being happy 24/7. What I am telling you though is that Christ will change your life. He will amaze you. 

I leave you with this quote I found that I love - a truly great illustration of Jesus and His joy:

“Jesus said, 'I speak these things in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.' Wow, Jesus had joy! Then it all came together, Jesus and the little children, Jesus and the wedding feast, hanging out at sinners houses for dinner...Jesus knew joy! REAL joy, because He knew what it was to live totally in His Father's will, how to live God's love and when He looked up and saw Zacceaus up in that tree...little man, up there like a kid! He must have had a hard time holding back the chuckles as He talked with the Pharisees at times..."