Joy Lasts

A mother of young children never seems to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
She is in a sea of diapers, late night feedings, potty training, and scraped knees.
Enjoy it; it goes by so fast, falls on deaf ears.
They don’t know what they’re talking about, she thinks with annoyance.

I will always be changing diapers.
I will always be getting up for the late night feedings.
No, you won’t!
Believe me, you won’t!

Mothers could easily be milliners since they wear so many hats.
Hats of necessity.
Hats of their own making.
Hats that they are anxious to take off.

Some hats, once removed cannot be worn again.
Some hats can be put on and off at will.
Some hats are removed prematurely.
Some hats take a bit longer to put on.

Mothers will hear her children ask the same question.
Am I your favorite?
There is something inside each child that needs to know the answer to that question.
It is a wise mother who never says, yet always makes each child feel they are special.

Susanna Wesley, born in 1669, was the 25th out of 25 children.
She and her husband, Samuel, had 19 children.
Nine of her children died as infants.
Two of her children, John and Charles, became great evangelists and theologians.

Susanna once wrote something in a letter that all mothers can take to heart.

I look upon every soul under my charge as a talent committed to me under a trust.
I am not a man nor a minister, but I spare every night to discourse with each child apart, strengthening their tiny faith in God our Savior.

Her children knew to be quiet whenever they saw their mother throw her apron over her head.
They understood this was Suzanna’s private time of prayer with the Lord.
More than likely it was those times of prayer that gave her strength and wisdom.
She needed that as she endeavored to spend time with each child every day.

Someone asked Suzanna which of her ten surviving children she loved the most.
The one who is sick until he is well, and the one who is away from home until he is back.
Her reply couldn’t have been more perfect.
There is never one favorite child; each child pulls at your heart at different times.

A new mother can give her undivided attention to her baby.
However when another child comes along, that mother is torn.
If they both need her at the same time, who does she tend to first?
She feels guilty about going to one child over the other.

She may find that one child is a bit more demanding and naturally gets her attention.
She can begin to resent the needs of that child in her heart when those demands take her away.
There is always another child, a quieter one, who seems to wait patiently on the sidelines.
Her heart is torn, the guilt sets in; she doesn’t see clearly, and she second guesses herself.

A friend of mind is the wife of a pastor.
She and her husband have many children.
We were talking about motherhood and children on the phone.
After sharing some things in each of our lives she said something that made me pause.

A mother is only as happy as her saddest child.
I told her that her statement was very profound.
I had never thought about it quite like that.
I realized there was truth to those words.

I have thought about her statement ever since.
A mother is only as happy as her saddest child.
That is about right.
Your heart immediately goes to the one who needs you the most.

Some child would point a finger and say, you do have a favorite!
Maybe in that instant, you do.
You have a hurting child that needs your attention.
You have someone whose needs are a bit weightier than the others.

As I took my morning walk, I thought about happiness as I continued to ponder her statement.
I remember that happiness was defined in a way I have never forgotten.
Happiness is about what happens to you.
However joy is a constant; joy goes much deeper; joy lasts.

Joy lasts!
I walked for two miles and thought about it some more.
Joy lasts!
Joy lasts!

I don’t want happiness.
Happiness is too circumstantial.
Happiness depends on the weather, or on my mood, or on my circumstances.
Happiness is fleeting.

I want joy!
I desire joy from the bottom of my toes to the top of my head.
I want joy to permeate everything about me.
I want joy to be my constant; my compass always pointing north.

If I seek joy, then the day-to-day doesn’t matter.
Life can throw all sorts of things at me but I will be steady.
I will be enveloped in something that defies explanation.
No one will understand my countenance.

Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

The joy of the Lord is your strength.
The joy of the Lord.
Not happiness, but joy.
Joy lasts!

Go for joy!
Seek joy!
Joy can be found.
Joy can permeate everything about you.

That kind of joy only comes from the Lord.
It is not circumstantial.
It is not fleeting.
Joy lasts because the eternal God is a God of joy.

If you know the Lord, you have no excuse but to be joyful.
Don’t pursue happiness.
Happiness does not last!
Pursue the thing that lasts!

Pursue joy!