Do you know the difference between joy and happiness? Joy comes from within and happiness is from the outside. That sounds a little confusing, so let me explain it to you in a story.
There once was a family
of four: a dad, mom, son and a daughter. Their last name was Nelson. They lived
in a nice house in a small town in the mountains. The dad owned a gas station, and the mom worked as a librarian at the library. The boy’s name
was Micah and the girl’s name was Molly. Micah was 10 years old Molly was 7
years old.
Micah and Molly liked
to go to school and loved playing outside in the yard. Their yard was big and
had a sandbox and a tree swing. They also liked to go to the library when their
mom was working because they loved to read books. Once a week there was story time at
the library, and Micah and Molly loved to go to hear their mom read the story.
All the children loved to listen to their mom read. She was a wonderful story
teller and would make the stories come alive.
Everyone in town knows Mrs. Nelson, Micah and Molly's mom. Everyone loves her because she seems to be so pleasant all
the time. Although she was a happy person, what people saw in her wasn’t happiness. It was a joy she had deep in
her being, inside her. Her happiness came from enjoying many things
around her like family, home, playing, food, and so much more. But it wasn’t
these outward things that made her full of joy. Her joy came from inside her.
It came from the Holy Spirit who lived in her. When she was a little girl, she
had accepted the Lord Jesus as her Savior. At that moment, the Lord Jesus gave
her the Holy Spirit to live in her. The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons
in the God head. For more information on the God head, look at the lesson on
faith in Faith 3.
Mrs. Nelson knew that
the Lord would help her through anything that came her way. Years ago, when
Mrs. Nelson’s mom was sick and died, it was very sad and difficult for her. She trusted the Lord to help her through it. She cried and she missed her mom
very much. Everyone was amazed she still smiled and even laughed during that
time. That is because her joy did not depend on outward things to shine through
and make her joyful.
Mrs. Nelson was a very
giving person. She would make food and take it to people who were sick or
injured. She gave Christmas presents to children who didn’t have much. She was always
quick with a smile and an encouraging word.
A few years ago, there
was a terrible snow storm that knocked out the power all over the mountain town.
The snow fell all night long. When the people woke in the morning they realized
they were trapped in their homes. The snow was over 10 feet deep and it took
days to dig out and move the snow. As soon as the Nelsons were able to get out
of their home, Mrs. Nelson went to a neighbor’s house to check on them. They
were elderly and she wanted to make sure they were unburied and had food. She
helped some other people dig a tunnel to their front door. She gave these neighbors a hug
and words to cheer them up along with the food she brought.
As much as Mrs. Nelson
was full of joy, Mr. Nelson was not. Oh, he could get happy. He would laugh at
a good joke. He enjoyed playing softball. He liked owning his own gas station.
He loved his family. But still something was missing in his heart. What do you
think was missing? It was joy; it was the Holy Spirit. He had never trusted the
Lord as his Savior. How very sad!
When the storm came and
buried the town in snow, he was very upset. He couldn’t get out to open his gas
station. He worried that they would lose too much money. He worried people
would be angry because his station was not open. Mrs. Nelson reminded him that no
one could get to the station so no one needed gas. She said they needed to be
thankful for the time they had together. She said to be patient and enjoy this
time of togetherness. Mrs. Nelson, Micah, and Molly played games by candle
light and roasted marshmallows in the fireplace while Mr. Nelson paced the floor
wishing the snow would melt. Mr. Nelson asked Mrs. Nelson why she wasn’t upset.
Mrs. Nelson said it was because she couldn’t do anything about it so she would
enjoy the situation. After one day of no power, the power came on again. They now
had heat, light, and could cook food. This still did not make Mr. Nelson happy,
he was still worried.
When Mr. Nelson was
finally able to open the front door, he shoveled snow almost nonstop so he
could get to the station. As soon as he got there, he shoveled snow there and
opened up for business. He was exhausted from shoveling so much snow.
He would not leave the station because he said he needed to be there to sell gas and fix cars. Two days went by, and he still had no customers. He was beside himself with worry. If people didn’t stop and buy gas or have their cars worked, on he wouldn't make any money. He started keeping the station open around the clock. He set up a cot there for him to sleep on. He installed a bell system that would let him know if a car came into the lot or someone opened the door. His worrying caused him to sleep poorly and eat very little. Soon he got sick. Mrs. Nelson brought him food and told him not to worry. She tried to get him to close the station and come home for a good night’s sleep, but he was afraid someone would need his service. Mrs. Nelson knew the Lord would take care of them but Mr. Nelson didn’t have faith.
He would not leave the station because he said he needed to be there to sell gas and fix cars. Two days went by, and he still had no customers. He was beside himself with worry. If people didn’t stop and buy gas or have their cars worked, on he wouldn't make any money. He started keeping the station open around the clock. He set up a cot there for him to sleep on. He installed a bell system that would let him know if a car came into the lot or someone opened the door. His worrying caused him to sleep poorly and eat very little. Soon he got sick. Mrs. Nelson brought him food and told him not to worry. She tried to get him to close the station and come home for a good night’s sleep, but he was afraid someone would need his service. Mrs. Nelson knew the Lord would take care of them but Mr. Nelson didn’t have faith.
Mr. Nelson got so sick
he had to hire someone to run the station so he could go home and rest. He didn’t
get well, he got worse. The doctor said he needed to go to the hospital!
Mr. Nelson lay there
very sick in the hospital. Micah and Molly came to visit him every day after
school. They would sing him songs or tell him about their day at school. Mrs.
Nelson was there as often as she could when she was not at the library. She
would come in with a big smile and a kiss. He loved her visits. The nurses also
looked forward to her visits because she always had a kind word for them too, and she was so pleasant. They knew she would never say a harsh word to anyone. When
she was at the hospital, her children stayed with a neighbor.
One day, Mr. Nelson took
a turn for the worse. Mrs. Nelson came right when she got the call from the
head nurse. Mrs. Nelson rushed to her husband’s side. She smiled her big smile
and hugged and kissed him, but he was unconscious and unaware of her presence. That means
he was in a deep sleep and could not be awakened. Mrs. Nelson sat with him
and prayed all night. In the wee hours of the morning she read aloud to him
from her Bible. She continued to read to him until about 9:00 in the morning.
She put her Bible down and rubbed her eyes. She got up, stretched, and drank the
coffee the nurse had brought her. She was so very tired but didn’t want to leave
his side. All of a sudden, Mr. Nelson’s right hand moved and he tried to open
his eyes! Mrs. Nelson leaned over and said his name. His eyes did open that
time! She was so happy he woke up.
Later that day he said
he had some questions for her. She wondered what he wanted, so she leaned closer
to hear him. Weakly he asked how sick he was so she told him. She explained how
he had just come out of being unconscious, and he had been asleep for over 18
hours. He asked her if it was she who had been reading to him. He said he
remembered hearing a voice. She said she had been reading the Bible to him. Mr.
Nelson smiled and said, “I’ve been watching you all these years and you have
something I don’t have. You have a peace, a joy about you all the time. I want
what you have.”
Mrs. Nelson was
overjoyed! She said, “Honey, it is the Lord. As you know, I trusted the Lord as
my Savior. The Holy Spirit lives in me. The Joy you see is Christ’s love. He
gives me peace.
Then Mrs. Nelson opened
her Bible again and shared verses like: Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 5:8 But
God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. John 3:16 For God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you
will be saved…
Mr. Nelson said, “I want to trust Jesus
as my Savior. I think He has been trying to get my attention for a while now. I
was just pig headed and would not listen. I guess it took getting so sick to
get my attention.”
They both bowed their heads and Mr.
Nelson prayed, admitting to Jesus he was a sinner and in need of a Savior. He
asked Jesus to forgive his sin and to come into his life. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson
were both crying, but they were tears of joy. Mr. Nelson now has the joyfulness
down deep in his being just like Mrs. Nelson has. They both have Jesus as their
Savior and the Holy Spirit living in them.
Boys and girls, aren’t you glad Mr.
Nelson accepted Jesus as his Savior? I am too. Have you trusted Jesus as your
Savior? If not, please ask your parent, or Sunday School teacher, or your
pastor to help you. I am praying for you.
Memorize: Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us
in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Verses in NKJ unless
otherwise stated.
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