I woke up in a surly mood, until I walked out the front door. I was accosted by an enormous cloud of soap bubbles. I looked up the street and saw a woman walking away, pushing a stroller. Sticking out of the buggy was a tiny arm holding a battery-powered bubble machine that was exploding shiny spheres all over the mob of similarly surly morning commuters. Squeals of laughter echoed from the stroller.
I watched as people stopped, looked up from their intense sidewalk stares and began to smile. One man burst out laughing when he realized bubbles were stuck to his suitcase.
The world tends to beat the childlike wonder out of us. The good news is that it doesn’t take much to remember: a smile, a kind gesture, a little child with a bubble machine. Joy is our God-given gift. As Psalm 16:11 teaches, “You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
This message is excerpted from “Soap angels” by Susan Sparks in the January/February 2021 Gather magazine.
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