What
is joy? I asked myself.
What
about the pain in my life?
Is
joy to put it all on a shelf,
And
pretend my heart contains no strife?
But
that would be artificial,
For
joy is not the denial of pain.
Life
may not seem all that special,
But
abundant life is far from plain.
Genuine
joy is camaraderie with God-
To
walk through life hand in hand;
To
share it all, for denying pain is fraud.
It's
sitting with God at a beach, making castles in the sand.
Joy
is the realization of Love,
To
know nothing better than this Friend;
Who
to die on earth below left His home above,
To
enjoy me for eternity without end.
It's
returning this gift of love-
To
fight for the One Who holds me in His Hand;
To
look on His Face with the eyes of a dove,
To
be in His presence and make castles in the sand.
~Khaitlin Critchfield
