I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.
Where?
Well, I confess that I just made a parenting mistake. I was lying on my daughter Gabrielle’s bed, saying goodnight, when she mentioned to me something about growing up and getting married. After my knee-jerk reaction of telling her she could never grow up, and never, ever get married, I relented. “Alright,” I said, “you know I just want you to be happy.”
And that was the mistake. I want something more than happiness for Gabby. Happiness is an emotional state based on circumstance – your positive feelings resulting from whatever positive happens to you. I want something that goes beyond the vicissitudes of circumstance. I want joy for my little girl.
Just before Jesus was betrayed He spoke to the disciples of the pain of their grief, but then pointed to a promise beyond their present circumstances. “You also now have sorrow, but I shall see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man shall take from you,” (John 16:22)
Joy is the gift of God that no person or circumstance can take from us. It goes beyond our satisfaction at work, our performance in the market, our winning or our losing, and even our goodbyes. Joy is deeper than all that. Joy is Christ Himself living way down deep in our hearts.
May the joy of Christ live and dwell in you richly this Advent season.
And if the Devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack.
–Ryon
Second B Advent 2011 