With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

- Isaiah 12:3

Children have so much JOY.
And it is joy of the simple. Jhon as I fly him as an aeroplane instead of regular carrying. Jose-Luis as he chases after bubbles. Or Pedro and Jorge as Kelly and I balance dominoes on their faces (of all things!).

Once we grow out of childhood, it begins to get harder and harder to have constant joy that comes naturally.
Because joy is a choice.
Either one can chose to look upon life (the good, the bad and everything else in the spectrum) with the lens of gloom, or one can look upon life with the lens of joy.
And joy is lasting.

C.S Lewis said "No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it."
So, if you choose joy and seek joy, you will surely find it.
You will find it in the places you expect, and the places that are utterly unexpected. For joy is a gift from God.

This is not to say that having joy is easy. Being joyful in situations that don't seem to have any glimmer of joy in them at all is really, really hard.
But it is these times that joy is needed. Truely needed. Joy brings hope and light and joy is contagious.
Whenever I feel really down, homesick or weary, the pure and raw joy of the kids here instantly infect me. And this joy comes from kids who have no parents, are abandoned, have come from the street, were abused and these kids have gone through things no child should ever even have knowledge of. Logically, these kids should have no joy, but God has given them such great joy!

Joy liberates.
Joy brings one closer to God.
We should have joy for the simple fact that we are alive!!

So step forth in joy. Joy for life and joy for God.


"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." - Isaiah 55:12