Joyful, Joyful

 Psalm 126:4-5. NRSV

4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,

    like the watercourses in the Negeb.

5 May those who sow in tears

    reap with shouts of joy.

One of the meditations that is emailed to me each morning includes a passage from the Bible followed by a quote by some famous person and a prayer.  Today I absolutely loved the quote.

“Joy is the serious business of heaven”. (CS Lewis Letters to Malcolm)

This seems totally appropriate in the days following Joy Sunday, and worthy of consideration.   Especially right now.  Because let’s face it - this does not feel like a particularly joyful time.  What if we were serious about pursuing and radiating joy?  What if we didn’t simply accept the things we cannot change, but embraced them?  

I imagine we all know someone who seems to embrace even the most difficult times with a joyful spirit.  We may wonder to ourselves “How does she do that?”  In the case of one of my 12 Step sponsors, it is a conscious choice.  One of her favorite sayings is, “I didn’t get clean to be miserable.” I have seen her face incredibly difficult experiences with a joyful heart.  Maybe not happily, precisely, but she always knew that the feelings attached to the terrible thing were  temporary and that joy would be found again at the end.  She works hard to bring joy and love into the lives of others. Just being in the same room with her could bring me up even on my very worst days.  I haven’t seen her in decades, but I get a post card from her about once a week.  All it says is one word, “Love”, and it never fails to make me smile.  When I grow up, I want to be like her.  

In this time of pandemic and societal unrest, joy may seem out of reach. But perhaps we can make an effort to find and embrace the joy in every circumstance.  I suspect some of us will find that easier to do than others, but certainly there is no harm in trying.  There even might be a lot of good in seeking joy.  At the very least, we can share joy with others, especially right now.

Joyful God, we are so grateful for all the blessings you shower upon us, even when we are tired and grumpy and far from feeling joyful.  May we seek to be serious about joy, feeling it and sharing it, that all the world might know that joy is indeed the serious business of heaven.  Amen.