swedish: Som om man kunde
Vidröra lycka
english: Like joy was something you could touch
I wrap it around me.
Several years ago, I had these words engraved into the back of my small iPod shuffle,a small red piece of metal that accompanied me through many journeys. Around the country on airplane rides, across the East Coast on a van tour, and even on the local streets of my community as I exercised..
Can you touch joy? I can certainly say that we all could think of tangible things that bring us joy. Our favorite hobbies, people, and places. When I think about my favorites lists (my favorite music, favorite vacations, favorite people), I can feel joy and enthusiasm welling up inside of me. So why do we compromise ourselves, masking these joys? It’s a question I’ve been battling recently. In Scripture, we are told to “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say again, rejoice!” (Phillipians 4:4) For Christians, joy ultimately springs from their relationship with God (at least that’s what was taught to you in Sunday School). But to embrace the idea that God created each of us in His image, and through us He has created even more beautiful, wonderful things: now that’s worth considering.. Inherently, we can find joy through many things, yet it has all been nothing but a continuation of Him and the joy that we find through that.
For many, it’s watching a child. Yesterday in church I sat somewhat distracted but very observant. As I drifted my attention towards the instruments sitting on stage, I noticed a small head moving just above the front row of chairs. A young girl, probably about 5 years old, ran around the corner and embraced her family in the middle of the service. As her sibling escorted her out of the row of chairs and towards the exit signs, I saw something genuine and real, simply in the way the young girl scampered behind her sister. Her arms were straight at her sides as if she were wearing an extremely uncomfortable sweater. Her feet involuntarily moved faster than the rest of her body, her eyes gazing up at her older sister in admiration. To me, this is one proof of joy. Proof that in our lives which are surrounded by fear, anger, and disappointment there is a happiness and that can not be shaken. This is joy.
Where is your joy today? What is keeping you from it?
One of my joys is having a great Intern. Miss you around here!