I had passed it at least fifty times as I walked down the paved driveway. And when it finally caught my attention, it was a delight to me. A spider lily was growing amidst a wild array of ivy and other ground-hugging plants which clung for survival alongside an asphalt parking lot. Its slender tall stalks were bare as if any kind of leaves would hold them back. And on top, it boasted a celebration of red, like the grand finale of fireworks on Independence Day. There were two of them rejoicing, like the laughter of friends cutting through the silence, a burst of color among the mundane, extraordinary standing in line with the everydayness of life. The pair stood there waving in the gentle breeze of a hot August afternoon, mostly invisible to those who trudged by.
The joy is there. We just don’t bother to look for it, so preoccupied with the urgency of the ordinary, carrying around the burdens and baggage that pull us down, those bulging suitcases we should have left on the altar a long time ago. Focusing only on the dust and gravel, we actually don’t SEE the reality of God’s goodness all around us because other things have distracted, caught our attention, and taken up residence in our hearts, affecting our eyesight, our brainwaves, our words, and even whether we embrace others or walk right past them.
No matter the darkness of this day you may face, look for the joy. Just one little thing. Look for it, the joy God has placed in your life to give you strength and hope. No matter what turmoil is around, He offers a secret joy. “…do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8.10)
And be reminded that the conduit of that joy may be YOU in the time another’s need, an opportunity to extend a kindness or the grace that none of us deserve.
Look for the joy. It may even bubble up out of the ground when you least expect it.
…and delighted themselves
in Your great goodness.
Nehemiah 9.25
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