Finding Joy



This Sunday we will consider the fourth and final attribute of the Advent Season; joy.

First, let’s just acknowledge that joy has not been the easiest to find this year. More commonly when inquiring how others are doing, I have heard the following: exhausted, fragile, anxious and depleted. Psychologists have been helping to normalize this experience as the natural consequence of having our sympathetic nervous systems be on alert for the past two years.

Of course, this is in addition to all of the ‘normal’ bumps and bruises that we endure as human beings along the course of our lifetime. If we have lost loved ones, or are experiencing financial or health challenges, joy can feel quite distant. For that reason, the holiday season has become notorious for exasperating these difficult experiences with the implied demand to be joyous. The greater demand is really to be aware enough to allow ourselves feel what we are feeling, in order to learn and grow from the experience.

We can trust that joy will return in earnest if we mindfully tend to the reality of the experience at hand.

“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

This is why we start the season with the attributes of Hope & Faith. There is always hope for a time of greater peace and joy, both personally and collectively. We can use our faith faculty to know that the presence of God within us is our truest source of support and strength along our way back to a healthy state of wholeness.

The foundation for the fullest expression of joy is the knowledge that we too are the Light of the World. As we discussed last week, there is that within us that is only of God. The very Spirit of God resides within us as our Spirit. It is this Infinite Spirit within that endures in us; come what may. This is the Good News of the Gospels that begins with the Christmas story.

Amidst the backdrop of the past few years, we also find an invitation for more intentional living. Honing in on what actually brings us peace and joy, and releasing some of what does not. Considering how we can contribute to a greater sense of shared peace and joy is our collective work.

With hope and faith we experience an inner peace that cannot help but express as joy.

Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum of holiday joy, handle yourself (and others) with great care.

Consider for yourself: 
  • How can this season renew your hope in greater possibilities for yourself and our world?
  • How can your faith in all that you are as a Divine Expression be deepened?
  • How can you experience love and joy more fully?

Need a gentle reminder of the joy at Christmas?  Click here




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