Advent - Psalm 105:43

Joy is a toughy right now if I'm honest... Today marks the 3rd week of Advent, today we light the Joy candle. But honestly, joy is one that's not just tough now, it's a hard thing for me in general... "Hope" I feel like I get, I long for the consummation of Heaven. "Peace" is another one that I can't say I experience all the time, but I know what it is, and I have felt, and do feel, "peace" to divine degrees at times. Joy though... I'm an excitable person, I'm passionate about the things I'm passionate about, but "joy" isn't an emotion or state-of-being that I feel very familiar with.

It's probably not correct to use the word "emotion" for the Advent-pillar of Joy, but it doesn't feel wholly inappropriate either... I think of 'joy' as an outward response to a thing, and if I were to be pressed to think about what "inward-joy" might be, I think I'd default to how I understand "peace".

Joy, though, can't only be outward, there must be something internal... "Peace" reminds me of feelings like calm and serenity to me, but "joy" reminds me of feelings of happiness and gratitude... Maybe that's where joy becomes almost a virtue - happiness accompanied with gratitude.

I suppose with that springboard, I feel great joy when I'm with close friends, experiencing community with people who really know me. I don't know what it says about me that the most recent time of excessive "joy" I can remember was from a weekend-getaway trip to the Dells with our best friends back in January... We don't get to see Michael and Kathryn (+ the kiddos!) very often. By God's grace on their lives, we are 1 of many close family-friends to them. By God's same grace on our lives, they are 1 of a very few close family-friends to us, and so when we do get to see them and plan a few days together every couple of years, it warms my heart so much that if we booked the next trip this morning I'd forget about being sick and how cold it is outside (wind chill -29F).

Things for me right this very second are not incredibly joyful, but all things considered it's impossible to not find peace in the provision of Yahweh in my life. I'm thankful for when joy enters my being and I get to experience it, I pray Jesus broadens my heart and mind this week during the reflections on Joy for the sake my own righteousness.