Just Because
It came out of the blue. It wasn’t her birthday, or their anniversary, or Christmas, or any other significant or special day. It was just a Tuesday. She was at work, slaving over a spreadsheet that had to get done before lunch, when in walked Sharon, the receptionist, with the largest bouquet of yellow roses she had ever seen.
“Whaaa…”
“I know! Aren’t they gorgeous Lori?! The little card has your name on it.”
She stood in shock.
“Looks like you’ve got an admirer!” Sharon’s brows were at the top of her head and a grin played at the corners of her mouth as she walked back to the front desk.
She stared for a minute longer, then lowered her head into the velvety blossoms. The heady scent filled her nostrils as she slowly breathed in and closed her eyes.
Roses were her favorite flower. Yellow ones. Only a couple of people knew this.
She pulled out the little card from the holder and opened the envelope.
“Just because. Love you babe. Jim.”
Oh her heart! He did it again! This wasn’t the first time, but every time he did, it always came as a surprise. She closed her eyes again and gave a silent prayer of thanks.
She knew she was one of the few women in the world who was blessed to have such a loving and godly man. He brought her such joy. She felt she didn’t deserve him.
Things were far from perfect of course. They had their disagreements, arguments, and conflicts. But they had agreed from the start to work as a team in their marriage and to never give up on each other. And the only way they could do that was to always put God first in their individual lives and in their marriage.
“Thank you Lord!” she whispered in her heart. “Thank you so much!”
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Have you ever gotten a gift that was a total surprise? Just out of the blue? It wasn’t your birthday, or Christmas, not an anniversary or any other special day. But someone who knows you…someone who loves you, gives you a gift “just because”. This has happened to me from someone I love. But honestly, I would be grateful even if they didn’t give me gifts.
Because it’s not about being grateful for what they do for me, I am grateful for who they are. For their generous heart. Because I see it not only with the surprises for me, I see it in how this person serves at church, how they go above and beyond at work, and how they’re always looking for ways to add value to anything they do. They bring me joy. And I am so thankful for them.
Highly joyful people pursue God’s Kingdom as their first priority, embrace being a part of something bigger than themselves, recognize the importance of relationships and invest in those around them, find peace in God’s character, and live in community.
Gratitude and joy cannot be separated. Gratitude is connected to joy and joy is connected to gratitude. Everything is connected to something else. We are not the means to our own end, we are the means to God’s end…as conduits for God’s love, grace and mercy. We are here to be a light, but we can’t do it alone. We are meant to live in community. Even Jesus had a small group.
I know it’s not always easy…this living in joyful gratitude. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns. It’s hard to be joyful when things are bad. It’s hard to show gratitude when life has thrown you one curveball after another and you just can’t duck anymore.
When times are hard and you can still rejoice…that’s when you know gratitude has matured in your life. That’s where joy and gratitude have fused together. It’s easy to have joy on good days. Anybody can be thankful when times are easy. But when life has hit you like a Mack truck and you just don’t know how you’re going to get through the day without losing it, that’s when you have to start looking. Be intentional in your pursuit. There is always something you can thank God for. Kindness is His character. Someone once said that 90% of what God wants to say to you is encouragement. We just have to tune our ears to it.
And when you hear it. When you see it. Recognize it. Embrace it. Find peace in God’s character. And thank Him. Thank Him not just for what He does, but for who He is. And there will be joy.
Dear Father. Thank you so much for the people you have put in my life that bring me joy. And thank you for the ones that make me grateful for those people. Thank you for what You do! Thank you for who You are! When life sucks, help me to find my joy in You! Amen.
