1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: Life Audio. You're listening to every Day Prayers with Million 2 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,120 Speaker 1: Praying Moms helping you pray God's word for your family 3 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,920 Speaker 1: in the areas you need it most. I'm your host, 4 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: Nicola Bell. Here we believe prayer isn't a last resort. 5 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 1: It's our first and best response in parenting, and every 6 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:32,599 Speaker 1: day we come together to partner with God for the 7 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: hearts of our children. This Fall, we are praying through 8 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: the nine fruit of the Spirit in nine weeks using 9 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: devotions adapted from our Everyday Prayers devotional series. This week's 10 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: prayer focus is Joy. Today's devotion is written and read 11 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 1: by me, excerted from my book Choosing Cheer. To learn 12 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: more about our ministry or to grab copies of our 13 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: Everyday Prayers devotionals, visit Millionprayingmoms dot com just for our 14 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: podcast listeners. If you click shop, I have a special code. 15 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: Use the code Fall twenty for twenty percent off your order. 16 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: After a quick word from our sponsors, we'll pray together 17 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: for our children. Philippians four four Rejoice in the Lord 18 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: always and again, I say rejoice. Every little girl needs 19 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 1: a pair of pom poms. My daughter loves to visit 20 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: my Mom's house, Nana always surprises her with something like 21 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: a pack of stickers or a coloring book, whatever she 22 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: might have picked up at the Dollars store. On one 23 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: of our recent visits, my Mom handed Josie Lou a 24 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: pair of red and silver sparkly pom poms, saying, every 25 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: little girl needs a pair of pom poms, even though 26 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: they were cheaper than the ones that you get in 27 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: the stadiums. Josie's eyes widen and she waved her new 28 00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: pom poms, jumping up and down and exclaiming hooray, hooray. 29 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: Almost immediately, Josie Lou turned to me, held one of 30 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: her pompoms out to me and said, Mommy, this one's 31 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: for you. As I took the pomp pom out of 32 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: her little hand, she said, you do. Hooray mommy. So 33 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: we walked around the house waving our pom poms and 34 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: shouting hooray, hooray. As I reflect back on this sweet memory, 35 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: I'm reminded of a couple of things. First, we have 36 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: an innate desire to share our cheer. Josie Lou was 37 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: so excited about her pom poms she immediately wanted to 38 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: share them with me. She desired for me to share 39 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:45,119 Speaker 1: in her joy. It wasn't enough for her to experience 40 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: it on her own, She wanted me to experience it 41 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: with her. Second cheer is contagious when we witness someone 42 00:02:54,400 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: experiencing genuine and unadulterated joy in distinctively wanted. Just as 43 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: Josie Lou wanted me to experience joy over her new pombombs, 44 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: I also desire to share her joy. When I saw 45 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: the bright smile on her face, I couldn't stop a 46 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 1: grin from spreading across mind. When we love people, we 47 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: want to share in their joy. We can experience the 48 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: true joy of Jesus in our relationship with others. In 49 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: his second letter to Timothy, Paul writes, I long to 50 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: see you that I may be filled with your joy. 51 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: Tewod Timothy one four. Jesus taught us the significance of 52 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: our relationships with many of his parables and lessons focusing 53 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: on how we relate to others. Like Josie Lou wanted 54 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: to share her precious pomp bombs with me, the joy 55 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: we received from Jesus should compel us to connect with 56 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: others when we approach relationships. From a place of fulfillment 57 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: in Jesus. We are much more likely to experience joy 58 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: in our connections. If we approach relationships from an empty place, 59 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: looking to human relationships as the source of our joy, 60 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:13,839 Speaker 1: will be left disappointed and frustrated. While our relationships bring 61 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: us imense joy, they also have the potential to deprive 62 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: us of joy. We cannot go to our spouses or 63 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: to our children and expect them to be the source 64 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: of our joy. Now, don't get me wrong. My husband 65 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: and my daughter give me great joy, but they are 66 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,799 Speaker 1: not the sole source of my joy. If I base 67 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: my joy on the emotions of my three year old daughter, 68 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: I would be absolutely exhausted from the roller coaster of 69 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:49,159 Speaker 1: changes throughout the day or really the hour. However, when 70 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: we go to Jesus as the source of our joy 71 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 1: and bring that joy with us into our relationships, we 72 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: are sharing in the gift of His spirit. Joy is 73 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: meant to be shared. When we spend time with Jesus, 74 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,719 Speaker 1: we have a desire to pass the bomb bomb. May 75 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: our lives shout hooray, hooray, rejoice in the Lord for 76 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:18,600 Speaker 1: our children to witness. Let's pray Father today we rejoice 77 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: in you, help us to seek you as the fountain 78 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: of joy in our lives. Help us to show up 79 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 1: in our relationships with joy from your presence, not seeking 80 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: our family to give us joy or fulfillment. May our 81 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: children witness your joy in us and desire to be 82 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 1: in relationship with you. In Jesus' name. Amen. As part 83 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:45,919 Speaker 1: of our Fruit of the Spirit prayers and everyday prayers 84 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: for the School Year book Club, Tarah Cole and I 85 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: created a free car Conversations guide for your family to 86 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 1: use this fall. The car is sometimes the best place 87 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: for our most precious conversations with our kids as we 88 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 1: are praying through the Fruit of the Spirit. Our hope 89 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: is that you can have meaningful conversations with your kids 90 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: about what living out these fruit looks like in their 91 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:14,279 Speaker 1: daily lives. Tara and I created a series of quick questions. 92 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: She wrote some for the older kids, I wrote some 93 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,359 Speaker 1: for younger kids, and we share a prayer that you 94 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: can share with your children about each of the Fruit 95 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: of the Spirit. Download your copy for free on our 96 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: website or the link in our show notes. Until next time, friends, 97 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,720 Speaker 1: the Lord bless you and keep you, Make His face 98 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the 99 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.