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And they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” Matthew 21:16
Is it difficult in seasons of our most challenging trials to be joyful? During our daily frustrations and disappointments do we tend to only view the negative aspects of what we are facing without being thankful for our blessings?
I would have to raise my hand and say “yes.” It is hard when it seems one burden on another is placed on my shoulders or one blow happens after another. But not long ago while eating lunch with my husband at our favorite beach café, something happened that struck home.
The weather was an amazing gift that day. Following a hard freeze two days earlier, we were blessed with sunny, balmy, seventy-five degree day. As you might imagine, all the small outside tables were taken.
Because of the crowded situation, we were forced to sit at a large table for ten. Being accompanied by our pooch that day, there were three of us at one end of a large table. As we took our first bites of the delicious entree, a frazzled mother of three bounced chaotically into the picture. Seeing the open end of our table as her only option, she graciously asked if she and her three little ones could share the other end. Of course, we insisted and warned of our pooch on the ground beneath the table.
The middle child was told to sit on the end and the worried mom promptly provided him with an electronic device and headphones. It was easy to see this young boy had difficulty in the overstimulated environment and the mom feared her son might bother others in the outdoor dining space. As the minutes passed, the mom and the other children managed the boy’s restless behavior and reminded him several times to keep his voice down. The boy, with developmental challenges, seemed isolated from the family but in reality, the mom knew the best way the boy would enjoy his time there.
After a while, the birds began descending near our table attempting to grab a crumb or two. When a bird swooped down directly to the boy, he startled and backed away from the table. He told his mom, “When that bird came at me my whole life passed before my eyes.” The mom questioned, “Oh? What did you see? When your whole life passed before your eyes, what did you see?” He replied, “It was all great.”
His words pierced my heart. God sends us messages in the most unique ways. To the casual observer, the situation seemed to be one in which a young boy struggled each day to make sense the world around him. To others it seemed he didn’t connect with people as other children his age and younger are able to do. It seemed he didn’t know about life and the world around him. In reality, at his young age, he had already figured life out: ”It’s all great.” In the words from this young child, I heard the message, count it all joy. No matter our trials.
Count it all joy.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1: 2-4
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