Things that bring joy

Today I am wrapping gifts, and letting my future worry about itself (at least for the moment...)  I have been reflecting on the things that bring joy to me: my husband and his corny jokes, even in grizzly circumstances; my kids and grandkids; the way Jesus loves me lavishly even though I don't deserve his love.  In my reading from Spurgeon's Morning by Morning this morning, I read this:

  Let us note that Christ delights to think upon His Church, and to look upon her beauty. ... We cannot look too often upon that face which we love; we desire always to have our precious things in our sight. It is even so with our Lord Jesus. From all eternity "His delights were with the sons of men"; ... When the world was set upon its pillars, He was there, and He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. .... Never were they absent from His heart, for He had written their names upon His hands, and graven them upon His side.... We may often forget to meditate upon the perfections of our Lord, but He never ceases to remember us. Let us chide ourselves for past forgetfulness, and pray for grace ever to bear Him in fondest remembrance. Lord, paint upon the eyeballs of my soul the image of Thy Son.

And so, Gentle  Readers, we who are loved so lavishly only have reason to smile. May you know the love of Christ that is greater than any circumstance.

I will leave you with a few photos of things that make me smile, too, since I didn't get pictures posted on Wednesday this week.