Praise Completes Joy

Most every weekday we watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on channel 11 at 10:30, and right after that we keep the tv on and I get to listen to the BYU Devotionals that are broadcast.  I loved this one from last week by John Shumway (text here, video here) - the talks always give me lots of food for thought.  In this talk he shared the following quote by CS Lewis~

"I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. . . . The world rings with praise—... Praise almost seems to be inner health made audible. . . . I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed." [Reflections on the Psalms (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1958), 94–95]

I loved the truth in that - I'm not content to just stare at Natalie slumber peacefully and looking like an angel, I have to tell her sleeping soul "You are so beautiful ~ You are perfect!" and that praise completes my enjoyment at beholding her.  When we notice the joy and beauty around us, speak forth thanks and praise for it, the words we speak will not only expresses but complete our enjoyment!  The delight is incomplete until it is expressed.

The kids are the same ~ Ethan, Hyrum, Melodie, Abi ~ when they hold Natalie, they'll stare at her and their emotions seem to be bottled up, then they gasp in exasperation as they finally express their feelings and in a sigh as they say "She is SO PRETTY!!!"

Complete your joy by expressing your delight~ (I love my family, I love Natalie, I love Corey!)