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Lyndy Elmore is proud of her 12-year-old daughter CJ. They live in Platte City, Missouri — in the heart of the United States. CJ wanted a way to bring joy to other children during the pandemic’s social distancing. So, she wrote their names on small buckets, filled the buckets with sweets and a toy or two, and left them on the porch of each child’s home. Lyndy also left flowers for the moms. People really appreciated it!* I’m sure Lyndy felt really good about her daughter’s actions.
This is similar to the feeling that the apostle John mentions in 3 John 1:3-4: “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (NIV)
All of us who follow Jesus have people who are like spiritual parents. They may have shared the message of Jesus with us, or have encouraged us in following him. They care about us and want to see us walk in truth. They may be our actual parents or grandparents. Often they are not blood relatives, but they care about us. We can be a source of joy by following Jesus. And if we help mentor the faith of others, their walk can be a source of joy for us.
*Candi Laster, “12-year-old brings joy to others who are staying at home,” KSHB.com, March 22, 2020, https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/12-year-old-brings-joy-to-others-who-are-staying-at-home
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.