Cranky Vs. Joy: Leads One Side to Find Humor

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 ESV)

Encounter

Yesterday, I encountered a cranky older woman while videoing my daughter’s soccer moves on the beach. This lady had not been sitting in our area for the most part. I would be in the middle of videoing and one of her relatives would walk through every time. Now, I was leaning towards cranky myself. While watching this lady’s body language- I could tell she was short fused. We were finally getting an awesome video and here comes this relative- I was like- “Come on, you’ve got to be kidding.” Could he not see me with the camera? Likely not as he walked munching chips. In the mean time- cranky momma throws her hands up and says, “Lets all stand still right now, nobody move.” I know you can imagine. We’ve all been on one side or the other of this behavior.

Reaction

My reaction began in agreement with her- yes, that would be nice. Except- The Holy Spirit quickened my spirit and before I knew I stated, “I love you, because Jesus loves you and we walk in joy.” Well, now the cat caught her tongue. I had already seen her daughter’s cross necklace. Why do we Christians have to act like this? On the other hand, shorty after this, two ladies approached me. I immediately thought I must have been shaking sand on them. No, they had seen me videoing and asked me to take their photos. They were so nice and we had fun visiting.

Frustration

Dried bones are serious business. There is no explanation for my two lower disc fusions, except years of frustration during my years of refinement. When frustrated, we have no joy. No joy leads to a crushed spirit, drying up bones. My neurosurgeon asked, “Have you been in any wrecks? Are you a runner?” He kept trying to bring reason to me being 32 with three lower disc in trouble. I praise God for healing my lower back- even if through two fusions. I walk in freedom from crushed spirit and my bones have been revived.

Cranky Vs. Joy

It is not good to be cranky. It is not good to stay frustrated. Take your cares to God, because He cares about you. When we stop resisting His will, we align in agreement being filled with joy and frustration must cease. It becomes a win-win leading to joy and positive interactions. Do we slip? Yes, thankfully The Holy Spirit is with us helping during these times. Dear friends, let’s seek joy and not end up cranky. Having joy is good medicine w/o the expense or harshness on the body.

Be encouraged!