Psalm 16:11~ “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Still basking in sweet fellowship with the Lord, I went home that night only to walk in my front door and discover my 4-legged “child” had been sick with diarrhea while locked up in his crate. Ok, I know this totally ruined the moment for you, but honestly, it was bad enough that it took hours to clean it up! Enough said!
I’m amazed over the situations Jesus chooses to use as “object lessons!” He quickly pointed out how “unreactive” I was throughout the whole clean-up process. This didn’t wind up being another crisis in the midst of an already tipping plate. I was actually very calm, systematic and my heart was governed by His peace. He said, “When you abide in My presence, all those receptors to stress and crisis no longer operate.”
Being in HIS presence had changed everything! The image I had was a duck whose feathers were smoothed down so the water just ran off it’s back. It reminded me of the common expression, “Like water off a duck’s back…”
You may not know this, ducks have a special gland positioned near their tails, called the preen gland. This gland produces an oil, which ducks rub over their feathers with their beaks to maintain their water proof effect. These waterproof feathers insulate ducks from water and cold temperatures. When raindrops hit a duck, the moisture beads up and doesn’t penetrate its feathers.
Joy is an oil according to Isaiah 61:3. Just like the oil produced in a duck’s preen gland, joy can waterproof our hearts, making us less reactive to stress and crisis. It’s like putting “Rain-X” on your windshield causing all those irritants, troubles and circumstances to “bead up” and roll off our life.
Notice the duck isn’t automatically water proofed. He must continue to apply this oil himself by preening during times of rest.
As we navigate our lives through messy circumstances, let’s be intentional to stay in God’s presence, where we have rest and joy to inactivate the triggers to stressful situations.
Seriously, how can you be stressed, anxious or even negative and depressed when you’re operating in JOY?
Healing Wings Ministries 
What a truly timely word. So often we don’t practice what we preach but what an incredible reminder of Gods joy, if we just stay pressed into him with our hand firmly in his hand, no matter what comes our way. We don’t have to be reactive to a situation, we can respond with one of the fruits of the spirit which is joy, knowing that God is always in control. Our water proof comes under the shelter of his mighty wings. Psalm 91