Finding Joy

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is Your strength” Nehemiah 8:10

We all have moments of profound joy that have happened in our lives – but they can sometimes be difficult to describe. They are unpredictable, emotional, and fleeting in duration. Joy is an intense moment, like standing at the summit of a mountain, and feeling glorious and full of awe. There is a sense of something bigger than you involved.
In the Bible, the Greek word used for Joy is “Chairo”. Chairo was used to mean the culmination of Being, or the uplifting of the soul.
Joy can be a sudden and unexpected emotion, catching up with you in the strangest of places, but it stays burnt in the memory strongly, as a gift that we can take out and relive. It can make us feel uplifted again, to help us remember that better times will always follow on from our troubles. Joy is truly a divine experience, a gift from God.
These little glimpses of Joy we experience on earth are foretastes of the overwhelming Joy that we will finally feel, when we are at last united with Jesus in Heaven. They are a strength we can lean on to help us through the darker times that are a part of our time here on earth.

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with Joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” Psalm 16 v11

A recipe for Joy

Begin by preheating your heart to a warm and welcoming temperature.
Measure out a cup of blessings, feeling your heart open and expand at the generous gifts you have received
Next, mix in a tablespoon of gratitude, offering up thanks and praise to our wonderful Creator
Add a pinch of laughter, as you feel your Spirit Lighten
Pour in plenty of love, let it overflow, allowing yourself and all those round you to be covered in it!
Stir in a cup of contentment, existing in the present moment, free of care, your troubles left behind at the foot of the cross
Add a big jollop of kindness, which will expand and fill all the places where it is needed
Sprinkle in hope, for there is a sure and certain future ahead of you, when you trust in the Lord
Serve your Joyful creation with a smile, sharing the feast, nourishing everyone around you with the knowledge of God.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

AMEN