The Power of Joy

CRM Centennial 3-6-5 Photo 6-7-12

Today, there is a lot of emphasis on happiness. "Do what makes you happy." I remember being taught as a child that there was a great difference between happiness and joy. We were taught that happiness was fleeting and rooted in temporary circumstances, while joy is deeper and lasts because it is based on something else deeper and more lasting than temporary circumstances.

The children at our shelter, logically, have very little to give them happiness. But it is a blessing to see how often they have joy. That joy comes because their lives, in spite of often being empty of material things, are full of love. Not just the love of family but also of the staff and volunteers. We are here to provide more than physical needs but to show the love that God has for each of them.

The 3-6-5 photo for this week is of a little boy who is undoubtedly happy but who is also experiencing a moment of joy, because of the compassion of others. He's not been given a "priceless" possession for him to keep but rather a moment of far greater value, a memory that he can hold onto. A memory of a time when people came together to show him that he, too, was of great value. Cared for and protected. Sheltered.

That's what we do. That's what we can provide every day because of our fellow rescuers, who give so faithfully to help us help others.

Thank you, for the opportunities you provide for us to give the gift of joy. Thank you for being a rescuer.