“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”1 Peter1:8-9
Last week Candice Payne went viral with her Chewbacca mask! It would have been hard for anyone to watch her video without feeling a huge sense of Joy and laughter!
For anyone who hasn't seen it- Candice treated herself to a Chewbacca mask that made noises as you moved its mouth. She wanted to enjoy the mask before her children saw it and so videoed herself in the parking lot! Whenever Candice saw her reflection she couldn't contain herself and had so much fun!
It made me think of how much our Father desires to see us full of Joy. That ridiculous joy, and uncontrollable laughter...as a mother, I know there is no better thing than to see our children in fits of giggles. And yet when we ask ourselves, there are probably few people we allow ourselves to be silly on front of. We all have inhibitions, I know that at home in my living room with my kids I would act different to how I would on front of others and so I loved watching Candice as she embraced the joy she was feeling. Our Father wants us to be joyful. He wants our Joy to be infectious and make others curious. Candice called this video "it's the simple things" and so it is.
The news that we have in Jesus' death and resurrection for us should make us happy...joyful. And yet so many people's experiences of Christianity are miserable.
I later went on to watch an interview of Candice and discovered she was a worship leader and that she had always known God has given her a call. And I couldn't help but feel that maybe this Chewbacca mask was part of it! Giving those watching a taste of Joy, a gift from the Father. The "normal" and the spiritual colliding.