Latest / Family Prayer Podcast / 22. Finding Joy - Monday Evening

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22. Finding Joy - Monday Evening · Family Prayer Podcast

• 0:00
  Good evening, Grace Harbor - it’s Dan!
• 0:03
  I hope you had a great Monday.
• 0:05
  Can you believe that on the day when we talked about not-so-fun moments
• 0:10
  turning into funny stories, I had one of those very experiences today?
• 0:15
  I was walking downtown, and it was a gorgeous day.
• 0:18
  Again, super cold for this guy who grew up in Florida,
• 0:21
  but the sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
• 0:25
  As long as I was in the sun, I didn’t even need my jacket.
• 0:29
  But with the temperature actually being so low,
• 0:32
  there were still some small patches of ice in places
• 0:35
  that stay shaded all day due to the buildings and trees.
• 0:39
  I was walking along and not really paying attention.
• 0:43
  Have you ever done that?
• 0:44
  You get to thinking about something, and even though
• 0:47
  your eyes are open, your mind is on something else?
• 0:50
  Well, I hit one of those icy patches, and down I went.
• 0:55
  At first, I kind of got mad.
• 0:58
  It hurt to hit the ground.
• 1:00
  There were people who saw me fall, so I was for sure embarrassed.
• 1:04
  And even though it was my fault for not being careful,
• 1:07
  I really wanted to blame it on anything else.
• 1:11
  But, you know what, the people who saw rushed over, and they were so kind.
• 1:16
  They made sure I was ok - and I was.
• 1:19
  My knee’s still a little sore, but I’ll be fine by tomorrow.
• 1:23
  And one of them even said, “You know, I did the same thing earlier this week.
• 1:28
  I’ll bet I looked like one of those cartoon characters who get stuck
• 1:31
  running in place.” And for whatever reason,
• 1:35
  the thought of that just seemed so funny, and it broke through my bad feelings.
• 1:40
  I looked around at the stores near us, and sure enough, one of them
• 1:44
  had a little security camera out front pointed at the sidewalk where we were.
• 1:48
  I said to the guy, “I’ll bet I looked like that too.
• 1:52
  In fact, I’m sure this place got it on video!”
• 1:56
  I invited him to come with me into the store, we told the manager
• 2:00
  what had happened, and I asked if we could see the security tape.
• 2:03
  They were able to pull it up, and sure enough, there I was: legs wobbling, arms
• 2:08
  windmilling, and I had the funniest expression of surprise on my face!
• 2:13
  I couldn’t help but laugh, and because I was laughing,
• 2:17
  everyone else felt ok laughing too.
• 2:20
  We watched it couple more times, and even played it back in slow motion.
• 2:24
  I had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard.
• 2:28
  In fact, my ribs hurt almost as much
• 2:30
  from laughing as my knee does from falling.
• 2:33
  And I am so grateful.
• 2:37
  I could’ve stayed mad all day.
• 2:39
  And I know that when I’m mad, I’m not at my best.
• 2:42
  But thanks to the kindness of others, reminding me that
• 2:45
  I wasn’t alone and that accidents happen to everyone, I was able to go
• 2:50
  from slipping and falling to laughing harder than I have in a long time.
• 2:56
  Is there anyone in your life who has the ability
• 2:59
  to turn your frown upside down?
• 3:02
  Take a moment and share with each other about the people in your life who know how
• 3:05
  bring you joy.
• 3:07
  Does anyone tell funny jokes?
• 3:09
  Does someone give the best hugs?
• 3:11
  Or is there one person who is always there when you need them?
• 3:15
  Recognizing these people is a way
• 3:17
  of practicing gratitude and giving thanks for them.
• 3:21
  If you need more time, you can pause the podcast,
• 3:23
  and I’ll be right here when you get back.
• 3:55
  Wow. I’ll bet it felt so good
• 3:58
  to think of all these amazing people God has put in our lives.
• 4:02
  And you know what?
• 4:03
  I’ll bet there are people out there who think of you that way.
• 4:07
  When they think of people that bring them joy, they think of you.
• 4:12
  Ok, let’s wind down now and see if we can’t
• 4:15
  get to sleep while we still have this joyful feeling.
• 4:18
  We’ll end as we always do, by praying together.
• 4:21
  If you want to, you can close your eyes and fold your hands.
• 4:26
  Dear God,
• 4:27
  we thank you for the people who bring us joy.
• 4:30
  We thank you for the people who know just how to make us feel special and loved.
• 4:36
  Give us a good night’s sleep tonight so we can wake up rested and refreshed
• 4:40
  and ready to look for ways that we can inspire joy in others.
• 4:45
  Amen.
• 4:46
  Alright, Grace Harbor.
• 4:47
  Sleep well, and I’ll talk to you in the morning.