A popular children's song has the line, "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart." And while it is true that we have joy in our hearts, I am here to tell you that the children I have met in my travels with Compassion have joy that cannot be contained just in their hearts!
These are children who have faced poverty head-on. Who have worked jobs, cared for their younger siblings, and seen death and destruction in their daily lives. But when these children come to know Jesus, when they finally know the freedom of being a child of God, their joy overflows!
It's as if you can see the weight of poverty lifted off of these children. They sing worship songs with their hands lifted high, and their words of praise inspire me. In the lives of these children, joy is not stagnant. It is moving and active. A child filled with joy cannot sit still!
I am so thankful that their joy is contagious. You cannot be near a joyful child without feeling a smile on your own face. And when a child, filled with joy, reaches out a hand to you, you cannot stand back and politely shake your head. You must take that hand and join in the dance when they pull you in — and they do!
Compassion-assisted children spread joy throughout their homes and communities. Poverty, however, is a relentless enemy. This month, will you join me in praying that the joy of the children we serve will be stronger than any disaster, any catastrophe? Will you pray for joy in the midst of trials and suffering?
Your prayers are heard by our joyful Father. Remember how He also delights in you, and may you find your own joy overflowing as you lift up these children in your prayers.