If we keep our eyes open we can find truly delightful moments as life passes by. Yesterday afternoon as my wife and I were driving on a residential street we saw two of the most precious little girls standing at the end of their sidewalk at the curb. They looked like they were 4 and 6 years of age. The mail truck was coming toward them and they were bouncing up and down with smiles so big you would have thought their faces would crack. They were clapping. I’m sure the mailman must have been happy to see such a welcome. Did he have a birthday card or a package from Sears or Amazon.com? Was the mailman their daddy? Whatever it was they couldn’t contain their joy. Their joy became my joy.
There are so many things in life that are contagious and I am not referring to germs and illnesses. A genuine smile is catchy. Yawning is infectious. A pleasant demeanor is transmittable. Generosity and sharing are communicable. It is amazing how we can and do have power over our environment. Nothing spoils a gathering like gloom and doom. But someone with hope and an energetic vision can overcome the downers and fill a space with so much happiness.
At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives us a model for happiness. We call them the Beatitudes. The word “blessed” can just as well be translated “happy”. “Happy are the peacemakers.” “Happy are the poor in spirit.” Each one is our Creator’s secret to a contagious life of joy. Granted it is a bit more difficult for us as adults than two sweet little girls by the side of the curb, but none-the-less we can do it.
Written by Roger Bothwell on October 14, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org