Joy

Elementary chapel was about joy today. Not happiness that comes when you get a package in the mail or a friend calls from far away. Or the happiness that comes when you get an A on a final or someone drops $10 in your mailbox so you can grab a no whip skim caramel latte on your way home sometime.
Joy is something deeper...a calm delight in your heart's deepest spot. That's what we talked about today. We talked about Psalm 126:3 "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." That's why we can be filled with joy. The Lord has done great things for us. What great things has the Lord done for you? I asked the kids that today, and the responses floored me. Here are a few...

David (2nd grade) "God helped me trust Him when I was scared because my mom was going the hospital."

Lizzy (2nd grade) "God gave me the chance to come from America and live in Vienna."

Then we talked about how Romans 15:13 says that God will make your joy overflow. You don't make your joy overflow. He does. So I showed them what overflowing is like with some buckets and water and big tub to shield the water from the floor. Make sense?

We are like gas tanks in that our joy needs to be filled up. It's a good thing, though, that we're not like gas tanks, too. If gas tanks overflowed all the time, there would be serious problems.

Did I also mention that I broke the microphone as I was talking today? Yes. Laughter erupted. Fortunately, kids are a forgiving audience.