This past weekend, my daughter, Kristen and I made the long trip
up to Kentucky to visit my son, Dave and his wife, Leslie. Being Memorial Day
weekend, Kristen had an extra day off from school so it made the trip worth the
eight hours to get there.
Saturday morning, we three girls went out on the deck to
enjoy the sunshine and the nice breeze. This is the kind of weather I like to
sunbath in because you do not feel the heat so badly until later in the afternoon.
I was content with the calmness as I relaxed and soaked up some rays.
We were laughing and joking about this and that, when
something out of the blue happened. Suddenly, I felt a plop of bird poop hit my
left arm. It was not to the left or right but slap dab in the middle near my
watch. At first, I could not believe the bird, which I never saw, could have had
such perfect aim. Then, I wanted to tell that bird a thing or two. Finally, I
merely went inside and washed it off. When I came back out, the incident became
the joke and our laugh for the day.
Later, I asked the Lord if there was something he wanted me
to see since the bird’s aim was so sharp. That is when I hear Him speak to my
heart.
“Don’t allow sudden
negative actions of others steal your joy.”
This has been a difficult lesson to learn. Suddenly, a phone
call or friend would come by and upset my day with their attitudes or actions. I
would mull over the situation again and again. At first, I wanted to lash back
or cultivate self-piety but I knew neither one of those answers was a positive
solution. After I started praying, God began inserting this phrase into my
thinking.
“Are you going to let
them steal your joy?”
When the Holy Spirit said it the first time, it surprised me.
I wasn’t sure how to respond. I felt justified in my feelings of
anger and piety. However, the more I thought about what God was trying to teach
me, I knew I had to learn to clear my thoughts of “them” and turn my attention
to something more joyful like my plans for the rest of the day, events coming
up or maybe even make plans to visit a friend. Cultivating the joyful thoughts
in that moment would be the strength I needed to overcome. Once I changed my
thinking, my attitudes and actions followed too.
The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Nehemiah 8:10