Created for Joy

On the day our son Joey was born, I recall the nurse placing him in my arms. She brought him to me in my quiet hospital room after he was cleaned and swaddled in the early morning hours. He looked at me with eyes opened wide like saucers, just soaking in the wonder his new world.  My son, to this day, is captivated and curious about the treasures God has set in our world. He is an explorer, a deep thinker, and a seeker. 

I remember my first thoughts of him, as the Holy Spirit proclaimed to my heart, “He is God’s child first. Hold him lightly, not too tightly.  Help him to know my plan for him.” 

I wrote a poem in which I explained what I felt in that moment. 

My thoughts and hopes for our son were profound and immediate. He was not born of any plan that I had intricately woven for him or for myself. God planned him, and then planted him in a home where he would grow to bear fruit for God’s sweet purpose.

And so, what I have desired most for our son, is for him to know that he has been made by God, through God’s infinite love, and for a purpose. 

Parents may wish happiness and success for their children. However, I have prayed for our son to experience a deeper joy with the unfolding of God’s good will in his life. Equally, I pray that God will plant eternal joy in the hearts and lives of each of our children and of all those whom God has placed in our care. 

I heard in a podcast message from Fr. Mike Schmitz that joy could be defined as “the abiding and pervasive sense of well-being”. This is an internal sense which has no regard for external circumstances. It is everlasting, without dependence on anything, save for the ever-present arms of our loving God. 

Joy is one of the greatest gifts revealed to us when we open our hearts to know and learn Scripture. It is this same joy that I desire to share in the ‘Lyrical Reads’ book series which the Holy Spirit has inspired me so delightfully to produce. 

I wish you JOY!