I woke up feeling tired, sore, and by no means ready to face another eight hours of hard work in El Chonco, a community just north of Chinandega, Nicaragua. As I shut my eyes and silently begged for just five more minutes of sleep, I remembered that it was my day on PB&J duty. Making sandwiches for the 100 other missionaries working with “Amigos for Christ” was a task I dreaded.
This was my second year helping in El Chonco. As I sat down in the school’s brand new feeding center, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned to see William—a boy I had befriended the previous summer—standing with his sister, Lacey. In a quiet voice, he asked me, “¿Puedo ayudarte?” (“Can I help you?”).
I happily handed the two of them a loaf of bread and two jars of peanut butter and jelly, thinking, “Hey, if they make the sandwiches, I won’t have to.” After giving the kids a quick PB&J-making crash course, I watched as Lacey took a squeeze bottle of jelly and William a slice of bread. Lacey then squeezed the jelly tube above the bread in William’s hands and SPLAT—jelly went everywhere, oozing all over William’s hands. Before I could start cleaning the mess, Lacey threw her head back and laughed. Before I knew it William was laughing uncontrollably, too. Then, before long I joined in; the three of us couldn’t stop.
When I finally got my laughter under control, I watched William and Lacey continue to laugh and sat in awe of this beautiful, profound moment of pure joy. It was the kind of joy that only God can create; moments of pure magic where we feel God’s presence most. To me, the joy I witnessed is what love looks like.
In the simple witnessing of shared laughter I felt that I experienced God most profoundly. I learned that any given situation can be an opportunity to experience God’s love, no matter how miserable the task may seem. The smiling, laughing faces of William and Lacey are forever imprinted on my heart; they are constant reminders to me that God is joy, and joy can be found in the simplest moments. All we have to do is open our eyes and allow our hearts to come alive, just as mine did that day in Nicaragua.
—Emily
In Saint Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians it says, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). What is the Lord asking you, in this moment, to commit to totally and cheerfully?
When was the last time you experienced the joy of God? Ask him for more simple moments and people to “bring your heart alive.”