Roots of Joy

When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

Are you closed in illusion? Shut down in the narrative of the same old same old?

Can you, do you,

Pick youself up, dust yourself off, start all over again.

Or, murmur, mumble and mutter to yourself quietly “Nope, No way”.

“I’m tired”.

Or do you murmur, mumble and mutter just loud enough so that someone will assist you, help you to move your life in a new direction? In the honest to goodness plea to move in a different, better direction? A truthful direction. A God-given direction.

Do whatever it takes to “Get it done” Plow over another to get it done. And never look back?

Does making the same mistake twice mean we do not care?

“It depends on how you look at it.”

In good times and in bad times.

In sickness and in health.

So long as we all shall live?

And if your answer is “Yes”.

What does that mean to your life, to others’ lives.

Will you be able to live with yourself knowing what you know about how another operates and directs the self.

In the end, it doesn’t really matter, so long as along the way, one can keep the prize of a life with Jesus at the forefront of all that matters.

Nothing in life is free.

Except of course,

Jesus love.

We may attempt to kid ourselves that this is not true. When we do this, we fail at our goal.

What happens?

We fall flat on our face.

Unable to save face.

Unable to get up.

Unless of course there exists the joy that was planted in us and shared a long, long time ago. It is not the “jump on the band wagon” joy of just finishing the cotton candy, the whisky, the wine.

It is the inner joy that through the hardest of times, we know who has our back. Really has our back.

Not just ‘cuz.

For me and my house, the roots of joy were planted in two important beings long ago.

One could say, we picked each other up all the time. Good days. Bad days.

Youth has a way of showing us the newness. In situations, in circumstances. The absolute innocence of seeing it in the best way possible. Especially when the chips are down.

Bad days. Closed in illusion of the same old same old narrative.

Good days. When the love feels the same as the first time we came face to face. And never wavered, never wavered.

The kind of love that is not only obligatory, but love that runs free of slamming doors and frowned faces. The look back of, “Hey, I get it, I was once in your shoes, and this is what I did……

Showing and acting on the faith of the roots of joy and simply,

Showed up.

As with many things in this crazy, kooky life the key is recognizing it when you see it. And becomes awesome when you choose freely and willingly to bring it to others. The joy. The joy you felt when you instantly knew life forgave you of your faults and failings and now it is your turn to

Give back.

Joy is missionary. (pf)

Pick yourself up.

Pick another up.

It is imperative that you do it for them, and not for yourself, not so that you

“Look good”

Joy is missionary.

That is why Jesus is ever present to ride the waves, the ups and downs with you. You will recognize, feel his good graces wash over you like a tidal wave.

It really, really is a beautiful feeling.

Doesn’t have to be big, and if all you can muster up for a day is a smile toward another.

Consider yourself successful.

And move on to the next task at hand.

With Jesus training, it never has to be a big ginormous gesture.

There is no such thing as a small act of kindness.

When we get beaten down, don’t stay on the ground.(pf)

Get back up.

With the knowing that the roots placed in you by Him, you freely and willingly placed into another person, persons. Matters not if it was to alleviate their misfortune, their pain, trials, tribulations, it is never done in vain.

Ever.

Because we learn best when we pay attention to our mistakes.

”I know, I know.”

This is such a drag. Mistakes. A major drag on the life you planned of traveling the world over, buying that Mercedes, eating the steak and downing the bottle of Jack. Playing the next round, journeying to the best stadiums to see the game, the match.

Why is it that we think we have “arrived.” When all we really may have done is view the life of another. It can sometimes be a rather lonely place to sit among the thousands of fans and feel like we never measured up….. because someone had always “beaten us to the punch”.

We feel the dread of having failed.We feel down. We fall down. Stay there. Become weary and tired of the fight. Give up.

Well. Suppose for just a second. Who and how DID you get up?

Without strings, without painful memories, without a pay out?

You guessed it.

With Jesus.

Doing the next right thing is never forgotten.

Jesus love is ever present. Ever free. With the beauty of the only pay back required being kind to others, honest, straightforward.

Tell it like it is.

If another reacts negatively, it generally is their “thing”. Not yours.

Abandonment stunts. The good news is love runs. It may run cold at times. But love continually runs. Love does not walk, take its time. It runs fast to drag us out of our own illusion.

Our own illusion that we are more important in this life than we really are. The only way to live a good and honorable life is to live a good and honorable life.

Sometimes.

The truth hurts.

He is there to weather those hurts when we fall down.

He reminds us that the roots of joy we planted long ago, with him and with persons we care about can never be cut.

I know two such persons. We have known each other for quite sometime. They are my joy. I share with others all the time the joy I have learned from these two beings.

Joy.

Joy is missionary.

”This is the true joy in life. The being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” (Gbs)

Don’t be a little clod.

Be a force of nature.

Bring it to others.

Bring it home to the ones in need.

Bring it home to the ones who need love.

Especially the ones afraid to say out loud the quiet, scary part of what they fear.. That they too are afraid, but do not want to appear weak. Closed in illusion. (pf)

Pride has a way of knocking us to the ground.

A piece of advice I learned from Him. The next time you find yourself sitting on the ground, stuffing the preposterous idea that you yourself are the mighty one, remember He is the original, the genuine mighty one who planted the roots of goodness in you long ago.

Instead of being closed in the illusion that we ourselves are “all that and a bag of chips”.

Get up.

Get real.

Get to work.

Share the bag of chips.🫵🏻

Feel the joy.🫵🏻

Of sharing.🫵🏻