fructify

As we go through our days, we need to consider that joy is a flower we can pick or choose. Throughout the beautiful moments that we can be thankful for, we can collect joy along the way and by the end of the day - there’s a bouquet!

Whether it’s a cherry tree - hopefully soon in bloom - or the spring flowers and fruit trees that start to bud and blossom, the world is so much brighter and colorful. I love what Hosea 14:5 has to say about this Latin “fructus” or “fruit” - to make fruitful like the actions of fruit-bearing plants.

I will be like the dew to Israel;
    he will blossom like a lily.
Like a cedar of Lebanon
    he will send down his roots;

Our prayers are that God will refresh, reinvigorate, rejevenate and make the desert of our lives bloom! May He saturate our souls. May He fill us with the Water of Life. Let the Word of the Lord sink in to the soul of our discontent and drench us in the dew of the morning. As we start with joy, it can only grow into flowers of kindness, love and compassion.

I recently watched a little film about that very thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQGuVKHtrxc (Joy and Heron)

I also read a tale about joy that got me thinking about how contagious it can be.

One sunny day in the jungle, a bathroom scale appeared. The animals were amused and took turns weighing themselves. As time went on, some of the animals became obsessed with their weight.

They started getting into a bad mood because of the numbers displayed on the scale. They treated the scale poorly, kicking it and giving it angry looks.

But one day, the scale decided to do something about it. When the first animal, a zebra, stepped on the scale, it began tickling its hooves, causing it to burst into giggles.

From then on, the scale would tickle anyone who stepped on it, causing them to forget about their weight and focus on the joy of being tickled instead. As the years went by, the scale stopped measuring weight and instead began measuring good humor and optimism.

The Word of God tells us that Nehemiah told the Israelites, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 He was referring to the people being convicted of their sin, feeling guilt and shame and then being restored to the Lord. That is the joy we have.