Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom: Unrestrained Joy

A few nights ago, our family watched the Dolphin Tales Show at the Georgia Aquarium.  I had no idea what to expect, I assumed jumping Dolphins, but other than that I was uncertain if the kids would like it. 

We waited in line for seats and the show to start for over an hour, containing the new walker I thought....this better be worth it. It. Was. 

My darling Caleb made it worth every penny and every second. Every time, without exception, he saw a dolphin jump, swim, talk or do anything he let out a contagious laugh, jumped, excitedly flailed his arms and gave an astonished "whooooooa". Some of the other spectators seem to enjoy him as much as the Dolphins ☺️ He cried "oh I love this. I love dolphins. This is the best show ever" while the show took a break from Dolphins and turned to singing. 

He nearly brought me to tears watching his unrestrained joy.  I longed to bottle up this moment so I could open it when need a kick in the pants reminder of how precious these moments with these littles truly are. The unrestrained joy of children is remarkable. It's before the world (including me) taint them. It's before they realize they are judged for everything they do. It's before they care what other people think. It's before they have real stressors in their life. It's before they have responsibilities. It's before life becomes work.  I wanted to bottle up his joy to also get the high of unrestrained joy again. Oh to have unrestrained joy again like he did.

I have had moments like that, particularly the day I knew I was saved by Jesus Christ, my wedding day, the birth of my three children, discovering I was expecting my children....but oh to live like that.

It is entirely possible I could live like that. Jesus Christ offers us an everlasting joy when we come to a relationship with him!  

1 Peter 1:8(ESV)

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

But so often we allow satan and the world to seal this inexpressible joy, this unrestrained joy I saw in Caleb. He steals it when we allow the judgements of others to stop us from living our lives in gods will. He steals it when we choose to follow his lies instead of God's truth. He steals it when we allow the stressors of life to drag us down to the difficult to climb pits. 

A glimpse into the unrestrained joy of my three year old might have been the highlight of "vacation". If we call could live like that, how full life would be. Thanks Caleb.