Joy

I've had a great day.
I'm just loving what I'm doing in work.
On the academic side, I really liked my last two classes, even though I found the time they took up were eating into other areas of my time.
My children were tired and kranky today big time (granny babysitting on Fri night = later night for them), but I've enjoyed them, more so this morning it has to be said!
Family cell at teatime tonight was - wow - amazing. Even though my little boy was - difficult. Then found out he was running a temperature!

Oh dear....I sound kind of tiresome to be around, don't I?
In chatting over my strengthsfinder results with another person, it was suggested to me that positivity, one of my themes, has a flip side.
It can annoy people.

I think I live and operate under a comment of blessing that was made to me when I was 14 years old. I'm quite old (but still in my 30s!) so maybe none of my readers will remember the band Heartbeat, who visited my church in 1984. I had just become a Christian and filled with the Holy Spirit in an amazing and dramatic way and I could just NOT STOP bubbling over, praising God, feeling loved, joyful and content. Even though lots of other parts of my life were not easy and straightforward and were causing me pain - my mum and dad, for example, were really unhappy that I was coming to church - I felt joy deep down more or less all of the time. This, folks - is the work of the Holy Spirit!

While Heartbeat were setting up, I was joyful and bubbly - I can't remember what I said or did but I remember thinking "these guys don't know me, perhaps I'm just being too enthusiastic" and I apologised to them for being uber-joyful. And one of the band said: "don't ever apologise for being excited about God. Always hold onto that". Those words really stuck with me. Makes you realise the power of the words we speak - and I would add - particularly the power of words spoken to what Bronfenbrenner calls "the developing human person" - children and young people.

Sure, I get grumpy. If I'm upset or stressed at work it's really clear to see. And my poor family will get the worst bits! But I find, in refuelling times with God, the deep joy returns. The wonderful dichotomy that exists for me as a Christian is that I can actually cry and feel sad (see Thursday's post) yet still have a deep sense of joy and excitement about the goodness of God shown to me. I am frequently moved to tears as a wave of gratefulness comes over me. Need a hanky every prayer time!

I find that this sense of joy is closely related to my devotional times with God. And in being obedient. Drop the obedience part, drop the sense of the presence. And I've been very disobedient in my time. These are times that I don't recall with pride and I remember them full well.

So (back to topic) - I think on that day in 1984 a word was spoken to me that was a word of life; that not only gave permission for joy, but encouraged and blessed the expression of joy. Words that brought life not death, blessing not curse.

What do you think - can people be so annoyingly positive that it's just too much?
Are there times when joy, excitement and happiness should be kept under wraps?
Please leave your thoughts in the comments section.