A Fruit Inventory ~ Not the Dishwashing Liquid

Greetings Dear Reader, 

Today is my younger Son, Bezel’s birthday.   When he was only two, we went strawberry and blueberry picking.   He was the kind of toddler who got into everything.  His mother and I knew we would have to monitor him the entire time we were at the farm.   

I took the first shift strawberry picking with his older brother Maxim.  Their mother stayed with Bezel.  There was a small playground and he amused himself swinging and climbing.  When we traded shifts so mum could spend some time with Maxim, Bezel was done playing.  The person minding the pay station for the berries reminded me we could eat all we wished as we were picking berries.  

I took Bezel over to a large full blueberry bush and told him he could pick berries off the bush and eat them.  He did.  For almost three hours he stood on the shady side of the bush eating blueberries in tiny fistfuls.   He kept commenting on how good they were to the entertainment of the owners.  They were happy to see his joy in their product.  As a boy, Bezel brought joy to almost everyone he encountered.  

I was speaking with my good friend Tina last night about the book Happiness is a Choice.  I had been feeling down because I cannot see Bezel for his birthday.  I was reminded of the truth of distinguishing between happiness and joy.  I find joy where I choose to find it.  Happiness is fleeting.  Joy remains. 

I have joy in my Son no matter where we are.  I love him for who he is.  I am happy when I am with him but he is a man with responsibilities.  I feel joy when I ponder his care for his family and his work.  Joy comes from understanding not circumstances. 

The same is true for the joy we are to produce as the fruit of the Spirit.  It is to be the kind of joy resultant from understanding who we are to the Father.   It is the joy allowing us to maintain our good hearts whether we are well or suffering.  It has nothing to do with how we feel.  It has everything to do with who we are and where we are headed.  

We will not always have to deal with the troubles of this world.  We will always have the opportunity to have and express joy as we travel home.  Today I find joy in my Son and my love for him.  I celebrate him with love and am proud of his love for others.  This is the joy we should find in all things no matter what the circumstances Dear Reader. 

Joy in the Journey – Michael Card 

There is a joy in the journey,
There’s a light we can love on the way.
There is a wonder and wildness to life,
and freedom for those who obey. 

And all those who seek it shall find it, a pardon for all who believe.
hope for the hopeless and sight for the blind

To all who've been born of the Spirit
And who share incarnation with him;
Who belong to eternity, stranded in time,
And weary of struggling with sin. 

Forget not the hope that's before you,
And never stop counting the cost.
Remember the hopelessness when you were lost? 

There is a joy in the journey,
There’s a light we can love on the way.
There is a wonder and wildness to life,
And freedom for those who obey.
And freedom for those who obey. 

Wishing you joy in the journey, 

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good. 

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How many blueberries can you eat?