One evening, it so passed that I returned to my place of abode and my sundial showed that it was about six hours after noontime. And behold, though it was a pleasant spring day, I found within my dwelling place much weeping and wailing, so much so that I wondered if my beloved wife had departed for some western state like Ohio, for to seek her Fortune.
On reaching the kitchen, I discovered my Beautiful (if a bit Frazzled) wife trying to Whip Up some spaghetti for our evening meal.
As I began to explore the reasons behind each of my children’s angst filled voices, I found different reasons, none of which seemed too terrible to me.
One child had a paper to write and was having a Hard Time starting on it. Another child just had “Too much Homework!” The youngest member of our household had foregone her nap in favor of a Full Helping of Misery.
To top it all off, one of our five Two-Legged-Sunbeams had decided that she Hated Spaghetti. This was a singular development as spaghetti is close behind Apple Pie, Baseball, and Beef Jerky as something all true blooded Americans like.
So it was that our supper meal was a Mournful Affair with a sense of relative despair over the Small but Terrible things of this life.
I considered well the angst with which my family was afflicted. Fortunately, not every evening is so filled with anguish, but it seems to me that this is simply a manifestation of a lack of joy.
Joy is that essential characteristic that allows humans to weather the small things and the large trials of life with a sense of hope. As Nehemiah told the people, “This day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the Joy of the Lord is Your Strength.”
Many times I have experienced a lack of both Joy and Hope. This is never because of a lack on my Father’s part, but only because I let the trials of life cloud my vision.
God is faithful and can provide Joy for every situation.
He even provides sufficient Joy to deal with Spaghetti for Supper.
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