happiness is a warm puppy...joy is...?

my brother used to have a book called "happiness is a warm puppy" by charles schulz. it came with a snoopy stuffed animal i think. don't ask me what brought this book to my mind because i really have no idea...i don't know if i ever even read the book all the way through. but for some reason that quote keeps rolling around in my head.

happiness is:
Thionis ice cream, playing Skipbo, a warm day in the middle of winter, Coldplay, learning about Foreign Accent Syndrome, spending a whole day reading a good book, budin, decorating a Christmas tree, "Chicken Train", laughing over the 900 stupid things i do everyday...

but joy?

i feel like that has been the question i have been asking for over a year and i still can't quite put my finger on the answer.

i think that maybe all those things that make me happy are tied into joy somehow...but i'm not exactly sure how...

i feel like i've heard what everyone else has to say about joy and now it's time to really look deep into God's word, into his heart, and hear exactly what he has to say about it.

so...the natural place for me to start was philippians because paul talks about joy there more than anywhere else. joy, true joy at least, goes hand in hand with suffering...to me that is strange...it doesn't seem right. but i think joy means looking at God with a right perspective all the time, not being swayed but circumstance or all the little things going wrong around you. to look at him and remember his promises and his character. and how he uses us for his glory everyday.

yes, i will always remember our oven exploding and laugh about it. or how i turned in the wrong inscription for Salta. or how i burned my hair on the tea kettle. these are the moments that make us smile, laugh, add flavor to a bland day.

but--i think about Laura Carver. how she is still pursuing the Lord. how she is about to enter into a marriage based on Christ. and i will (i hope and pray) be standing there beside her as she does it.

my family--how they understand me and support me and show me a picture of Christ's love by loving me unconditionally.

i think of Lu. who i first shared the gospel with in 2003. she was 16 years old and dead in her transgressions. now she is a woman of peace. a leader shining brightly for Christ.

and Andrea. who is learning more and more each day who her true love really is. who stood up in front of many and said, this is the love i have found in Christ and it has transformed me. and through her boldness to share her story, many received the gift of salvation.

my team. we are so different. yet Christ is the common denominator that joins us together, makes us work in harmony, has taught me to love in a bigger way.

these are just some of things that bring tears to my eyes, make my heart skip a beat, help me to trust God for bigger and greater things.

joy is about hope. about knowing God's character. about standing on promises. about thanking Him for what He lets you take part in.

"I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord." -psalm 27: 13, 14

hope.hope.hope.

besos, jess