June 30, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Friday, June 30.
A couple of times in my life, I've had the blessing of being an ESL teacher, English as a Second Language. My students were adults who had immigrated to the United States. I had great admiration for them, as I watched how hard they worked to give their families, their children, a better life in America. And I was inspired as I watched them work hard to learn English, a difficult language - and sometimes a crazy language!
Take a look at these crazy word-pairs, words that look like they should be opposites, but actually mean the same thing.
*Boned - Deboned
*Flammable - Inflammable
*Loosen - Unloosen
*Shameless - Shameful
*Valuable - Invaluable
*Caregiver - Caretaker
In closing, I focus on two words that appear to mean the same thing, but are actually very different - the words happiness and joy. Happiness is dependent on circumstances. "I'm happy because I have a job." "I'm happy because I have my health". "I'm happy because the sun is shining". But, take away that job, take away your health, send in the rain - and that happiness goes away.
Joy, on the other hand, doesn't depend on circumstances. Joy depends on God. We see this definition played out over and over in the lives of Christian brothers and sisters who are facing great life challenges. And in those moments, their lives become testimonies of how God can give us "a peace that passes all understanding".
Have a joyful holiday weekend!
I'll meet you back here on Monday, the eve of Independence Day, with a patriotic thought.
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
