Christians Should Receive Life with Gratitude and Joy
Just me, the fair, and an unexpectedly holy moment.
“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful . . . this is God’s gift to man” (Ecclesiastes 3:12–13 ESV).
The county fair is controlled chaos: lights flashing, music blaring, and rides flinging people into the air like gravity is optional.
Greg and I were not there to ride the crazy rides. You know the ones I’m talking about: the rides that flip you upside down, spin you until your stomach files a formal complaint, and drop you from heights that make you question every life decision that led you there.
No, thank you. I was perfectly happy to enjoy the fair with my two feet planted firmly on the ground.
Our kids and grandkids, on the other hand, were all in.
Finding Joy in the Simple Moments
For me, that’s where the real joy was—not in the rides, but in watching them disappear into the noise and come back laughing, breathless and, crazy enough, ready to go again!
And somewhere between the cheesy nachos and cinnamon pretzels (best described as “bad for you but worth it”), I had an unexpected quiet pause where everything settled for a moment, and I thought: Wow. This is a gift.
Joy Is Part of God’s design for Us
And I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. Scripture encourages us—implores us, really—to receive life with gratitude and joy.
“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful . . . this is God’s gift to man” (Ecclesiastes 3:12–13 ESV).
This isn’t a shallow idea of happiness. It’s wisdom literature telling us that joy, gratitude and simple enjoyment are part of God’s design for life.
God Gives Us Good Things to Enjoy
Paul echoes it in a different way when he reminds Timothy that God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17 ESV, emphasis added).
Everything.
Not just the “spiritual” things. Not just the mountaintop moments. But meals, laughter, family and even a loud, chaotic county fair!
The Devil Loves When We Lose Focus on Our Gifts
And yet, I think we have an enemy who would love to distort that.
He doesn’t always need to make us do something obviously wrong. Sometimes he just tries to make us forget how to enjoy anything at all!
Remember: Jesus’ first miracle happened at a celebration. The wine had run out, and He stepped in to restore the joy of the moment (see John 2). That doesn’t sound like a Savior trying to drain life of all color. It sounds like One who brings all color to life!
Maybe that’s what I felt standing there at the fair.
Receive God’s Blessings He Gave For You to Enjoy
In the middle of a broken world, God still gives moments that are good, real and worth receiving without guilt. And I believe the enemy loses a little ground every time God’s people stop overthinking joy and start receiving it as the gift it is.
Sometimes, a blessing looks like standing in the middle of a noisy fair, eating something you probably shouldn’t, watching people you love enjoy life, and quietly saying, “Thank you, Lord. This is good.”
And then, just as quickly as it comes, the moment passes—the lights still flashing, music still blaring, the world still spinning louder than it should—and we realize: We can’t hold onto it forever.
We can only remember it . . . and be grateful it was given at all.
Get these articles in your inbox!
—
Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.
