Joy to the world

For many, this time of year is anything but joyful. Holidays seem to bring out the best and the worst in us. When we see people in need, we want to reach out to help them, whether it is someone we know or a complete stranger. Yet we also set up unrealistic expectations for ourselves and for the people around us that create stress and tension to rob us of joy. We want to have the perfect meal, the perfect decorations, the perfect gifts to give and receive; anything less and we are disappointed. Depression and even suicide are not uncommon around the holidays; if family or friends are not nearby, if life is not going the way we want it to, it is easy to feel lonely and sad and slide into depression.

The older I get, the more I find the holidays remind me of the people I have loved who are no longer here. I miss my parents and sister at the holidays more than any other time of year; all the sights, sounds, and smells of the season area reminder that people I loved and shared holidays with in the past are not here to celebrate with any more. That can be incredibly sad and painful to think about.

Is it possible to have joy even in the midst of sadness and grief? I mean, isn't joy the same as happiness, and I can't be happy and sad all at the same time, can I?

Well, from my perspective there is a world of difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is an emotion that is generally dependent on the circumstances around me, and most of those are outside of my control (try as I might to control everything in my life!). If things are going well for me, I am usually pretty happy; if they are not, however, it is much harder to feel happy.

Joy, on the other hand, is something that comes from somewhere deep within. I have found that in following Jesus, there is a wellspring of joy that I can tap into even in the midst of pain and difficulty. Something happened when I turned to Jesus that makes joy possible when happiness is not.

Jesus came to bring joy to the world, not merely a fleeting feeling of happiness but deep, abiding joy that defies logic at times. Our wish for you during this season is that you will experience that joy for yourself not just during the holidays but throughout the year.

December 9, 2007