Did you know that joy and love come wrapped in the same package? With God’s love coming first, we become aware that it is God’s love that chooses us, cloths us with gifts that uniquely form us, and then sets us on our  distinct path in life.

 We gradually realize we will only tread this path for so many years. We only have this time to use our gifts to accomplish our mission: meeting the people God wants us to meet. Since God can’t reach everyone, he has others meet them for him. It’s our way of doing two things: helping God distribute creation’s redemption, and getting creation to be of service to neighbors. When we do, God’s kingdom becomes a reality.

 Joy springs forth naturally from this incredible covenant God makes with creation. This bond anchored on faith in God, and trust in Jesus’ promises, is the bottom line on which creation and their creator, God, thrive.  God’s love for his creation is so deep and binding, so astonishing and overpowering it is almost unfathomable.

 It is like swimming in a huge lake filled with the warmth of God’s love that’s ours alone. We alone can swim, splash, play and enjoy this bountiful lake. When we become fully conscious that all this is for us,  joy erupts in us and we smile with delight.  

We realize, “My God knows me, loves me, and wants me for his own. We burst with joy.”  This joy fills our every waking moment and encourages us to show it.

Literally running for her life, Anne Frank showed this overpowering joy in her book The Diary of a Young Girl writing:  “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

And this elderly black grandmother visiting her grandson in prison exuded joy with her greeting to all she passed in the corridors:  “Good morning. Hope your blessed with a nice day because God gave it to us to enjoy.”   A wife visiting her  husband replied, “You sure do love people don’t you.” The elderly woman responded:  “God made us all alike. We’re all his children. I’m  just showing  joy to members of my family.”  And she meant every greeting she uttered.

Indeed, love and joy do come wrapped tightly together. We unravel them as we grow and live making decisions now as we grow in age and wisdom. Every time we discover an insight on how we might be later in life, that is the time to act on it.

If we see ourselves as gentle and joyous, or cynical and cranky, or loving and kindly choose the one we like today. If we don’t, we will find out that when tomorrow arrives there are not enough todays to make the changes we prefer.