Sunday of Joy

Another week has slipped by and I find myself sitting in the quiet of our house this morning again.  If there is a Sunday of Advent that I look forward to the most, it is the Sunday of Joy.

I love Joy.  Joy is fun.  Joy is easier for me. Joy is easier for me to tap into than say…Peace. Do you have that deep-seated Joy in your life?

Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before You,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

~Henry Van Dyke 1907

I try to see the good in things.  Even when plans don’t go my way.  All this advent season, I have been looking forward to our Sunday morning services.  And last week was no different.  Until Hannah woke up with a sore belly.  I sent Michael and Lena off to church and I stayed home.  Was I bummed out about missing a service I was looking forward, too?  Yes.  Did I mind having an extra morning at home with Hannah?  Certainly not.  We snuggled and I spent some time in the studio.  Granted, that’s an easy one to see the Joy in, right?

I love spotting little things around me that bring a smile and let me see the Maker’s handiwork in the midst of the rushing around of life.  To me, that is Joy.  Right now, I look out my window and I see the dark branches against the slowly brightening sky and there it is, that bit of Joy in my soul.  I see a bee on a sunflower, the way the light colours the clouds, the smile of a sweet baby, the intricate pattern of frost on a window.  These things are things that bring my Joy.  The feel of a little hand in mine, the weight of Michael’s arm draped over me during the night, the purr of our cat, the warmth of the sun on my face.  All these things are things of Joy to me.

Those things don’t change.  Those things are always there.  It’s up to me to notice and to appreciate them for what they are.  They are little gifts.  And it is takes me looking through Joy-filled glasses to see them.  No matter what life’s circumstances are, it is up to me to take note, to register it and see the Joy in it.

Today it is the smell of a Nova Scotia Christmas tree in my living room, the warmth of the stove on my back, the extra little head nestled in our home, the anticipation of a community gathering tonight, the soft glow of Christmas lights.  These things are bringing me Joy right now.

Yes, today is the Sunday of Joy.  Do you have that Joy in your soul?  Do you tap into everyday?  No matter what life throws at you?  I can be having the worst day and I find myself smiling at some small detail.  That’s Joy.  Look around you.  There is something there for you to see, something that will make your heart glad, make it quicken and bring a smile to your face.

As I typed all that, I thought about the people who have a gratitude journal.  And I love that idea.  But for me, I think I need a Joy Journal.  Hmmmm, I really like that idea.  I did start a FB group called Finding Joy and I’d love for you to join us as we share the small things, or big things, that bring us Joy thought-out the day-to-day.  You can join HERE.  But I think I need to start my own personal Joy Journal.  Yes, I think I do.  And I feel like it needs to be very colourful.

Joy is a long-running theme in my life.  I first realized I had Joy as a teen.  Somedays I feel it more deeply than others.  Some days it leaks out my eyes, other days it is the tiniest spark I carry carefully as not to extinguish it.  I feel as though the Joy I have is a gift from God.  Happiness and pleasure are not the same thing, to me they are a little more fleeting and fragile.   I wear a cuff that says ‘Finding Joy’ as a reminder to look around me and to take Joy in what I find myself surrounded by.

Today, I want you to look around, notice something or someone that brings you Joy.  And tell me what it is.  I love sharing in that realization with others.  Joy is meant to be shared.

May the Joy of the Lord fill you today, to overflowing that you may bless those around you.

To be continued,

Lori

PS Here is the Sunday of Hope and Peace