Squashing the joy...

Don't you just love it when a person shows up and it seems their only happiness is to squash your joy?

Perhaps you want to try something new, but others like it done the traditional way...Ever been there?

Well, in Sunday school yesterday we had the best discussion about perhaps we squash other peoples joy clinging to our traditions or our own desires.  It was a great discussion that I think many of us were awaken to new thoughts on a very familiar passage in John 5 of the man who had been sick by the healing pool for 38 years.  Jesus shows up in the most likely place for Jesus, but not for anyone else.  After all, it was near the sheep gate, so the odors of the lambs for sacrifice along with a bunch of sick folks would have kept a lot of people away from this place.  We haven't even talked about the sounds of groaning, moaning, complaining, and then you have the animal sounds.  It just would not have been a huge stop by and visit place for most people of this day.  Yet Jesus once again stopped by to visit with these people.  The man doesn't recognize Jesus, but Jesus knew this man through and through...(just like us)  How often do we miss Jesus in our life?  

The story goes on that Jesus heals this man and He healed him on the Sabbath.  Oops...and He told the man to carry his mat.  Another no-no.  In this day and age you did nothing on the Sabbath.  Carrying a mat was a no-no on top of the other no-no of healing a man.  I mean after all it's the Sabbath and well wouldn't you know it who does this man run into?  The squashers of joy (I like to call them) Here this man is healed, he's happy, he's carrying his own mat and walking, but they want to focus on the mat being carried on the Sabbath.  Forget the man is walking after 38 long years and taking his mat with him away from this awful place of sadness.  Oh no, they just squash this man's joy right out of him.  Asking him questions such as "Who told you to take your mat?"  He didn't know.  One translation says, "had no idea who he was".  Imagine, this man missed knowing it was Jesus standing right by him, talking, healing, and giving him joy.  Not only that in a matter of very little time the joy will be stolen by tradition or laws being more important than what Jesus did for this man...Talk about losing our focus!

How often are we like these men?  How often do we steal the joy right away from a new believer? Even an old believer?  Are you a "squasher" of joy or a "giver" of joy?

Today pick to be a GIVER OF JOY!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie