Are you ready to celebrate a whole week of J O Y? Papa Charlie states that Joy is the “happiness of God. Joy is perfect ideas and the expression of those ideas in your life.” I know what you may be thinking, “What are perfect ideas, and how do I know I am expressing them in my life?” One example we have been focusing on during Advent is the story of the birth of the Christ. This birth brought Joy to the World, even in the midst of worry, struggle, and heartache. Soo – I’m thinking that the birth of the Christ in each of our lives brings Joy to the world even in the midst of whatever is going on.
A few years ago I did a series of lessons on Joy and Happiness. It was when we were in the Posh Office space in Old Hickory that we called 5 1 5. I had a congregant come in to see me and say, “You know, I am beginning to realize that I’ve really never been Happy, and I don’t believe I have ever experienced Joy. Those words seemed to just cut into my heart and I have never forgotten them. One of the reasons it had such an effect on me is because I have always known my purpose on the planet is to be the Joy. I intend to bring laughter, happiness, and joy to all situations – no matter what they are. And I can tell you that many times it has not been appreciated. I fully understand now that others “non-appreciation” comes from a place of not understanding that Joy brings strength (One of our 12 powers) to any situation no matter how difficult it may be.
The process of adding Joy is not always easy, but it is always worth it. When we look into the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 8 tells a story of “God’s people crying because they were struggling with life and feeling sorry for themselves. The way these people were offered compassion was a little different than the models most of us were taught to use in compassionate living. The model most of us were taught was very therapeutic and empathetic – and many times that model is just what the doctor ordered. And….. Have you ever been in a situation or been with someone that is “stuck in their stuff?” In that case, the model doesn’t work because it causes no movement, resolution, or action.
The Prophets Ezra and Nehemiah listened to the people cry and feel sorry for themselves and then said in our words, Don’t Worry – Be Happy! Of course the people looked surprised and shocked! How rude of these two prophets who are supposed to say something soothing and “ministerial” to us. So next they shared “Divine Law”. I know, you are thinking how would sharing Divine Law help anyone? The speaker shared three main points:
- Divine Law is the orderly working out of Divine Ideas
- Divine Law cannot be broken
- Divine Law keeps us all responsible by looking at the consequences of our action or inaction.
These prophets were saying as long as you stay in this place of feeling sorry for yourself, you will continue feeling bad and nothing good will happen. The law of the universe states, what you put out there, you get right back. Then an interesting statement was shared that you may have heard in songs and other statements; “The Joy of the Lord/Universal Law is your strength.” We have been learning about adding joy and strength through experiencing a Rampage of Appreciation. The Wise Men understood this long ago and brought appreciation to the Christ Child.
Join us on Sunday morning as Michael Elley, Deb Moore and Voices of Unity assist me in creating a Joy-filled celebration service. By incorporating Joy into every situation, I begin to dispel negative thoughts and feelings; and begin to see the good in every situation. Dr. Hugh says to us, “God is good – all the time!” Make the Joy of the Lord/ (Universal Law) your strength.
See you Sunday.
Namaste’, Rev. Denise