My Joy Has Been Fulfilled

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized—John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison.

Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:22-30 

My Joy

I thought the best things in life
like ice cream and sandy beaches
hours of play and no homework
were all I needed until joy came.

When they were young just watching
them enjoying water ice or digging
burying each other in the sand 
this was the height of complete joy.

Then their own came along too
and their are more laughing voices
more cries and phone calls
more of everything from joy itself.

We decrease because we want to
we are so aware of what love we have
how many blessings we are given
that stepping back is but joy's dance.