Day One: Be Joyful Always

     This time of year is always a great time to reconnect with the spiritual nature of mankind. I guess that is what holidays, especially Christmas, are really about. They are about taking a time out from the hum drum of daily living and reflecting in a more spiritual way about our lives and our place in time and space. Many of you will be contemplating your place in your families, who will you spend this time with, who will you visit or  remember with cards and gifts, and who will you miss. Amidst the heightened spirituality of the season, I thought I would share some thoughts around the seven days of meditation I shared in my last post. Feel free share anything that inspires you as you meditate on each days' bit of scripture by posting a comment to the appropriate post.
   What is mankind that we make such connections, such relationships in families and in close friendships?
Why isn't sitting next to a stranger on your plane ride home as much fun as sitting next to a family member or friend? Maybe because we sit next to strangers and we sit with family and friends. Maybe you are sad because you don't get to spend this time with family and friends and so refuse to engage with the people that are next to you. Maybe this is why God says to be Joyful Always. What if you were joyful and not sad that you weren't with your family and friends? What if you joyfully befriended a stranger and treated them as if they were a close friend? Maybe next year if you were sitting next to them on an airplane they would now be a good friend you are sitting with.
  Day One: Be Joyful Always.
  My first thought is that if I am Joyful Always it opens up the possibilities in my life. People are attracted to joyful people. They spend a lot of energy to either ignore or try to cheer up gloomy people; both are exhausting.
 But then there are those situations where it is just difficult to be Joyful. What does God mean by that? How are you Joyful at a funeral or in a hospital room? I have been in both situations. Some of my fondest memories were from the days my brothers and sister gathered in a emergency room waiting area while my dad underwent a heart bypass. The fond memory was not my dad's heart failing trust me but rather the closeness of those who loved him gathering to encourage each other. Underneath, we were all worried, but outside we held on to the hope that God would orchestrate a miracle through the hands of his surgeons. We laughed, we shared stories, and we visited with his many friends that came to share with us their concerns and hopes for his recovery. It was one of the most unexpected Joyful times of my life.
  I have to keep meditating on the words, "Be Joyful Always" to understand if there is a situation I can think of where I couldn't intellectualize some kind of Joy. However, you can't just muster up a good Joy in the middle of a tragedy. So what exactly could this instruction mean. One possible answer is found in Romans 12:12, "Be joyful in hope." No matter what is happening in your life there is always Hope. When you put your Hope in Christ, you have something to be Joyful about that will be with you Always no matter the circumstance.