“To lust for joy is to lust for the God of life.
To make joy where at first it seems there is none
is to become co-creator with the God of life.
When we make joy, we make a holier, happier life.”
Called To Question by Joan Chittister
At the end of August, a lovely group gathered at the Bield for a day retreat entitled Embodying Joy. We spent time in a guided meditation, writing poetry and blessings, dancing with scarves and our hands, and sharing deeply with each other, embodying joy. We also learned three simple spiritual practices to help awaken joy in our lives.
In the Bible, the Greek word for "joy" is related
to the Greek word for "grace." We experience joy as a grace given to us by God. Joy is also a gift of the spirit (Galatians 5:23) Even when we’re going through a really tough time, we can feel inner joy, for joy is understood in our Christian faith as deep-seated contentment in what God has done and is doing. In other words, we do not need to always be happy. Far from it. Joy is not the same thing as happiness, rather joy is deep and abiding presence, rooted in God.
Mary Oliver wrote in her poem, Mindful:
“Every day I see or hear something that more or less
kills me with delight”
A spiritual practice you might like to try at the end of each day, nearly like a daily examen, is to ask yourself this simple question:
“Where did I notice joy today?”
For me, on my drive to the Bield this morning, it was a brilliant rainbow painting vibrant reds, oranges, purples, greens and yellows against the thundery dark-gre
y sky, signalling the end of a torrential downpour and the promise of blue skies to come.
It’s easy to see the things that pain or depress us. But noticing what’s good and beautiful and life-giving around us and within us is a spiritual practice. If we can cultivate that practice, we will find we are “instructing ourselves over and over in joy and acclamation.” (Mindful by Mary Oliver). I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me!
Valerie Allen
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