The word “joy” means to rejoice and be glad. The Hebrew word for joy contains the suggestion of “dancing or leaping for joy, spinning around with intense motion.” What brings this kind of joy to an individual, a marriage, or a family, joy causes one to dance, leap, and spin around? Is it our possessions, our jobs, even our friends or family?
The prophet Habakkuk looked around and saw the devastating results of the Babylonian invasion. He concluded that he could be stripped of everything, and his joy would still be there! He had learned that joy does not come from things which can be quickly lost, but eternal joy comes from the Lord, the God of our salvation.
What a lesson for us who get so easily caught up with jobs, possessions, and the problems of the present moment. Are our children learning to live in the stress of the world or the joy of the Lord? Teach them. Pick them up and dance, leap, spin around. Proclaim the joy of God and His salvation!
