The Joy of the Lord

As I walk to school, I ponder over life questions and prepare myself for the day ahead. I always pass by children carry heavy bags on their heads and they ask me if I am tired from carrying my backs. "Sister Christy, are you tired" but picture this in a Ghanaian accent if you know what that is. I will have to do it for you in person sometime, I am learning how to become good at it. Ayways, this process is repeated each day which I enjoy as I love interacting with the children and bringing smiles to their faces. On Tuesday, I was praying for my kids and praying for a good day when it hit me that I have the Joy of the Lord everyday but don't always share it. I have found that it is easier to be negative and share that negativity with others than it is to be positive all the time. I talked to another teacher about this before the day began and we encouraged each other to keep the Joy of the Lord burning high all day long!

Wow! What a difference it made! My kids thought I was crazy as they came in because I wouldn't let them enter the room unless they too had the Joy of the Lord. Some took awhile to get in and I think some took awhile on purpose. It did make a difference in the day as I was energetic and looked at the positive sides instead of focusing on the little things that could get me down. However, I have found that by after lunch, I am begin to lose my Joy so I am working on this but half the day is a start! Right? With the Joy, I am enjoying each moment like when my kids look up every or word in the dictionary since we are learning about or words, or when they are not listening for the thousand time and then wondering what I am talking about. The Joy comes when they are dressing up like animals for the food chain, putting on puppet shows for the kindergartners, or asking my father questions on skype about the Revelations to his favorite soccer team.

I don't want to make the wrong impression, there are hard days here as the electricity goes off like Tuesday night, or the electricity goes off when I am printing a paper. No fun! But having a better aspect on it all has helped me relax and be a better, confident teacher. If I am happy, then chances are, my kids are happier. God has given me this life and eternal life forever so I have to rejoice in His goodness! Do you have the JOy of the Lord? If you don't, get yours at a local drug store as soon as possible(better yet, pray to the Lord for he will provide!)