Joy

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Joy

Faithfully    Await

Transcends   Excels   Rises Above

Peace Surpasses All Understanding

Rejoice

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scriptures:   Zephaniah 3:17 and 18a

The Lord, your God, is in your midst as a mighty savior.

God will rejoice over you with gladness.

God will renew you in Love.

God will sing joyfully because of you!

Philippians 4:7

The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will protect your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Reflection

Our readings from God's Word speak of joy. When we reflect on joy, we think about those special moments in our life when we have felt fully alive and overwhelmed with the beauty and the goodness that surrounds us. 

The challenge that we all face is to keep that spirit of joy with us at all times. When we are in pain, discouraged by a failure, or facing intense opposition, it is hard to keep that joy blooming in us. 

This is where our faithfulness comes into play. Will we be true to the message that Jesus wants to share with us? The Good News does not change. We have been saved, we have been cared for, we have been loved.

We await in hope the fullness of that message. We know it is true. It is a message that transcends our feelings and moods. It is a message that spurs us to excel in following Jesus and to rise above our frustrations and failures.

Zephaniah tells us that God is in our midst. God is with us as a "mighty savior". This presence of God with us and all around us fills us with a joy that no one can take away from us. God is actually rejoicing over us according to Zephaniah!

What an image. God loves us so much and cares about us so much that God is filled with joy. The joy is contagious. It keeps on growing and spreading. It becomes so powerful that God is actually singing with joy.

You have to ask, "If God is singing for joy, how can we stop our singing?". It is this joy that gives us a true peace. Paul describes it in Philippians as a peace that is beyond understanding. 

Some might look at us and wonder how we can maintain our joy and our peace when our hearts are troubled by upsetting news and our minds are clouded by the worries and anxieties that we face every day.

God is there to protect us and walk with us. When we fully realize that, we rejoice. It is a joy that cannot be taken from us. It is a joy that will always be with us. 

Our hearts and our minds will be challenged. Obstacles will have to be overcome. It will not be easy.

However, it will be joyful.

God is singing.

We are invited to join the chorus!

1. When you think of joy, what are some of the experiences that you recall?

2. How have you tried to avoid losing your joy?

3. Do you think faithfulness is important in sustaining your joy?

4. Do you think of God as singing for joy because of you and with you?

5. What do you feel as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)