Overflowing Joy

I heard a cool definition of the word "sing". It said: "Sing - to allow joy out of the body through musical intonations of the voice".

That right there describes me in a nutshell. If you've ever been around me, I'm sure you've heard me sing. I can't help it. Singing makes my work go faster, my schoolwork easier, my days more enjoyable. Singing makes my thoughts happier, my smile wider, and it helps me to see all the beauty (rather than pain and bad things) in the world around me.

I am filled with a type of joy that can't be described. The only way I know how to let it out is to sing (and play piano, guitar, or bass).

The reason I have this Joy can be found in Psalm 126:3, which says: "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy". It doesn't say "it gives us a little bit of joy" or we are "half-full of joy". We are filled! To the top! And when something is filled to the top with more coming in, it has to be let out somehow!

The reason that more joy keeps coming in is because God's mercies are new each morning! Blessings are poured out on us ALL THE TIME! When the Holy Spirit lives in us, one of the fruit of the Spirit that we have is JOY. On Google I found a definition of a fruit of the Spirit: it is "a quality of God's character that flows forth through the believer." It doesn't stay inside, it flows forth. It has to come out!

This is why I sing. There are other reasons too, some being that I love praising Jesus and there are definitely things you can say through music and lyrics that are easier to express that way than through speaking. But I think the reason that I am CONSTANTLY singing is because that Joy needs to escape! It is inside of me from the Holy Spirit and it is overflowing through my lips.

Anyone can have this kind of Joy. I am not saying that I am a perfect Christian because the Spirit is in me. I've still got work to do. There are times when I could be more loving or patient, times when I should stop worrying. God promises His Spirit to live in everyone who believes in Him, and the Spirit works in different ways in each of our lives. But when the Spirit comes into you, there are 9 fruits, or qualities of God's character, that come out: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. They certainly don't all just appear at once, as we would sometimes like ("God, please send your Spirit into my life". POOF! You are now patient and have perfect self control and are completely loving!), no it doesn't work that way, but God's spirit WILL work in your life and people WILL see the results.

Or in my case, hear the results :)