May 3
Children Do Not Apologize for Joy
Children are unselfconscious in their celebration. They laugh loudly. They dance spontaneously. They play with abandon. They express delight without worrying if it’s socially appropriate. They aren’t afraid of being misunderstood. They aren’t afraid of being judged. They aren’t afraid of looking foolish.
Adults, however, become cautious. Joy becomes conditional. Laughter must be justified. Play requires permission. Emotion becomes measured and filtered. Somewhere along the path to adulthood, we start to believe that seriousness equals maturity, and that joy is frivolous or inconvenient.
But Jesus was joyful.
So were the early believers.
And the kingdom He proclaimed was a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The loss of joy is not a sign of maturity—it is a sign that the heart has grown weary.
Becoming Childlike Again: Page 48
Children are unselfconscious in their celebration. They laugh loudly. They dance spontaneously. They play with abandon. They express delight without worrying if it’s socially appropriate. They aren’t afraid of being misunderstood. They aren’t afraid of being judged. They aren’t afraid of looking foolish.
Adults, however, become cautious. Joy becomes conditional. Laughter must be justified. Play requires permission. Emotion becomes measured and filtered. Somewhere along the path to adulthood, we start to believe that seriousness equals maturity, and that joy is frivolous or inconvenient.
But Jesus was joyful.
So were the early believers.
And the kingdom He proclaimed was a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The loss of joy is not a sign of maturity—it is a sign that the heart has grown weary.
Becoming Childlike Again: Page 48