“Oh be joyful.” That’s what my wife told me she would name her next dog. “O. B.” for short. One of the ways she found joy in her life was through her animals—all sorts of animals.
We each have our own ways to experience uplift in our lives. Through song, art, music, hobbies, pets, family—the list is endless, because it constitutes proof of the infinite individuality of God’s creation expressed by each of us in our own unique “Designer Original” way.
Hymns are a great source of joy. Take the timeless, “Joy to the World” (Isaac Watts, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 164). These lyrics are from the age-old Psalter of hymns: Psalm 98. The Bible points out how we are to give a joyous reception for what God is doing in our lives and in the world each day. “O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. . . . Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise” (Psalms 98:1, 4).
