Joy. It is a word that means different things to different people. I have learned so much about joy since being in India. The people I am in contact with every day enjoy the things in life that people in America might take for granted. I see kids playing with old tires and laughing and waving because today they got their picture taken by me. They are not phased by the poverty and piles of trash that surround them. I love the way that India is opening my eyes and my heart to what God couldn’t show me in America.
The children at Sarah’s Covenant Home are truly beginning to steal my heart. They know me when I walk in the room as they gaze up at me with those sweet little eyes and heart-melting smile. The Lord has been showing me different things about each of them that make them especially beautiful to me. Their smiles and laughter are contagious, and I look forward to seeing them every morning.
At any moment during my day I know I have the possibility to brighten a child’s day just by picking them up and taking them outside of their room for some fresh air, or by rubbing their tummies and giving them my undivided attention. The joy I receive from these children is more than I could ever give to them.
I am reminded that true joy is only found in the Lord. It doesn’t matter the circumstances or people that surround you. It’s about what you have in Christ.
In a lot of ways I think that these children exhibit childlike faith in the joy they have. They are in an orphanage and they don’t have a lot, if any, of the comforts we think it takes in America to be happy. Most kids need toys, vacations, allowances, ipods, gaming systems, tvs, etc. These kids ask for nothing; they are so satisfied with what they have. I know I have a lot to learn from them about what it means to have joy despite your circumstances.
India has really made me ask myself if is Christ enough for my joy?
HAB 3:18 "yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
