Have you ever admired a field of sunflowers? Is there something that you notice about their posture? A sunflower is always following the sun and as its rays fall upon the petals they begin to expand and spread, almost as if they were rejuvenated, stretching towards the sky. Awake from their dark, cold slumber.
Many times we as people go through life with no life within us, no sun to follow. But, maybe we should step into the warm rays and have our posture be joy.
For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. Philemon 1:7 CSB
What we see here is Paul writing to Philemon and saying that in his prayers he thanks God for Philemon’s love and faith to those around him, one that is a posture of joy. An abundance, an overflow. He was overjoyed because the position Philemon took was that of light and joy, one that would stir something in others where they too would operate from a place of life being breathed into them.
So many times we can dwell on sad seasons of our lives, but rarely ever do we celebrate or even cherish those happy seasons. How will people know the joy that lives in you if you won’t even share it with them? So ask yourself this question today, are you always operating out of sadness or are you allowing yourself to overflow joy onto others in those happy seasons? Granted, happiness and sadness are temporal feelings but where our joy lives is eternal. Just like when the sunflower follows the sun, Philemon’s joy was found in the Son.
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