Say “cheese”

Say “Cheese”

Have you ever let your circumstances steal your joy? I know I have. I have learned that if your joy is based on your circumstances, you are destined to be disappointed. This was reinforced to me while Christmas shopping at the mall, where I saw a little boy getting his first picture with Santa Claus. He was a tiny thing, probably fourteen to sixteen months of age.

He was dressed in his dark blue corduroys, a plaid shirt, and little leather shoes. His mom had picked out just the right outfit for that first picture with Santa. There was only one problem. When his mother sat him alone next to the fat man in red pajamas with the long, white beard, the boy didn’t like it. As a matter of fact, it scared him so much that there was no way he was going to smile. Instead, the look on his face was utter terror.

The photographers were trying to make him smile. Santa’s little helper was making funny faces, and Mom was trying to get him to say, “Cheese.” But nothing seemed to help.

There is so much in your life that will steal your joy right out of you if you let it. But remember, if you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, this world is not your home. Romans 14:17 states, “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Place your hope in Christ, the one who is unchanging, so that you will have joy even when your circumstances change.

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17