Did you laugh today? Have you smiled recently at a joke or precious moment? Proverbs 17:22 shares, “A joyful heart is good medicine.” Even science has begun to measure "joy" with a Norwegian study linking a sense of humor to longer life.
Well, I am a type A, first-born, highly driven perfectionist without time to have joy. You've met the type -- all work and no play. Those people who bark orders and get frustrated at coworkers having fun on the job when there are tasks to complete! That was me! Thankfully, God had a plan to force feed joy into my life!
In 1998, they came at the same time – son 1 and son 2. I had NOT ordered their arrival that way, but without my consent they came -- simultaneously! There was no return policy (I checked), so we dug in for the long haul. My husband and I were now the shell-shocked parents of twin boys!
Fast-forward 4 years, to a church service where God began to shove joy into my face. A sweet choir member bent down to our "more active" son Colt and proclaimed, “You make my heart smile.” I remember thinking, she obviously didn't recognize the rebellious streak in this kid or the high maintenance demands he placed on the family (a.k.a. ME!!). I actually remember mentally rejecting her uniformed comment.
Moving forward to the middle school years, Colt's curly hair was officially driving me crazy along with the light-hearted happy-go-lucky attitude when work needed to be done! Once, again he just rolled out of bed and had not touched his hair! Why didn't he care? Where was his mind?!! In one of my less sanctified moments I screeched, "Colt you need to fix your hair; you look like a…. clown!!!"
Then it hit me like a lightning bolt! “You should BE a clown!!!” All 11-year-old boys need a hobby, and I decided in that moment that Colt's would be clowning. I bought the books, did the research, and then prayed. (Note, if I had prayed first, I could have saved myself some money on books!) Later at our homeschool coop, while I was just making conversation with a friend, I “happened” to mention my desire for Colt to begin clowning. This sweet sister-in-Christ "happened" to know a Christian clown!
The rest, as they say, is history. It is a sweet amazing history. By the grace of God, Colt is now a Christian balloon artist. His mentor and extra dad, Gilbert Adams gospelballoons.com/gilbert/ – is a 9-time world champion balloon artist who devoted numerous hours of mentoring, training, and apprenticing Colt in the art of balloon twisting.
The ballooning business was a side benefit of that "crazy hair day." Over the past 7 years, Mr. Gilbert has taught me to appreciate the "joy" in my son. During one of Colt's many training sessions, Mr. Gilbert commissioned Colt to use his gift of joy to bless other. Again, the bolt of lighting hit me, Colt is joyful! The choir member was right -- he does make people's heart smile! I am the killjoy!
For the past 7 years, this type A, first-born, highly driven perfectionist without time to have joy has been learning to smile. Eighteen years ago, God sent a son to make my heart smile, and show me how to find joy. That sweet choir member was right, and I was the uninformed one! I thank God for a son who never gave up on trying to make his mom’s heart smile. Today – I am honored and blessed to say it does smile!
“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” – Phyllis Diller
“We shall never know the good a simple smile can do.” --Mother Theresa
Fingerprints
of the Lord
Christine
A. McCloy
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