Stealing Joy

     If you read last weeks post on Seeking Joy, I hope you have been thinking a little about the things that bring you joy and the things that take away your joy. Today, I want to switch gears a little bit. I want to talk about taking away others joy. We all do it, and in the end, it affects our joy as well.
     In Genesis 31:27-28, Laban, who is Jacob's father-in-law, has just caught up to Jacob after he fled from him. Jacob had received a dream from the Lord and was told to return to his native land of Canaan. So he gathered up all of his flocks and his family and left with no notice to Laban. He was traveling for three days before Laban caught up with him. Verses 27-28 say, "Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps? You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good by."
     Lets back up just a bit in this story, in case your not familiar with it. Jacob has been with Laban's household for many years now. He went there at the urging of his mother Rebekah because his brother Esau wanted to kill him for tricking him out of his birthright. He fell in love with Laban's youngest daughter Rachel and agreed to work for seven years in exchange for her. However, after the seven years was up, Laban tricks Jacob and gives him his oldest daughter Leah instead. Thus the joy stealing begins! Jacob had been anticipating his marriage to Rachel for seven long years, and he is deceived by Laban. Jacob ends up having to serve another seven years in order to be able to marry Rachel as well.
     So now Jacob has left Laban's household with all of his belongings, including Laban's daughters and grandchildren without a good by. I have no doubt that Jacob stole some of Laban's joy by not letting him say good by to his daughters and grandchildren, as the verse tells us. However, there is too much joy stealing in this story to list it all so I would encourage you to read it on your own. Stealing someone else's joy directly affects ours and Laban learned that the hard way. He mistreated Jacob in many ways and it cost him the joy of a good relationship with his son-in-law.
     I think there are many ways in which we steal other peoples joy, and in the end, it directly affects ours. The Bible tells us to treat others the way we want to be treated. If we wish to have other people consider our feelings (and our joy!), then we need to consider theirs. Stealing joy could be as simple as not returning a phone call to a friend in need because we are to busy or not forgiving someone who has wronged us. There are simple ways we can give joy each day and also simple ways we can steal it. I hope this has helped you to think about some of those little things and to learn how to keep your joy and give joy in return. Have a blessed day!