True Joy is not a thing, it’s a Person

It’s that time of year again, isn’t it? I’ve already had too many lunches and dinners that are stretching the waistline as much as I try to politely decline the extra serving! But there seems to be a joyful expectation in the air for this coming holiday season. It’s a great feeling actually. There is a taste of happiness in the air, but if the past is anything to go by, we might wonder, how long will this feeling actually last?

We build up to this time chasing the perfect gift, seeking the perfect smile when someone opens a gift we’ve spent weeks trying to find, but the smile seems fleeting. Often after the holiday season, we’re also stuck with an extra pound around the waist and an empty wallet. It might seem a lot of effort for a reward that is not as satisfying as we might have hoped. It’s funny how happiness seems so fragile, so dependent on our circumstances. It might make us wonder, is there a joy that is deeper, that lasts, maybe that even endures through the hard seasons of life? Well this Advent season does point us to a joy that’s profound, that’s unbreakable, but it would mean finding our joy, not in the things of this world, but in a ‘Person.’

Someone once said that ‘for someone to be truly happy in this world, they need someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.’ Actually, if we are looking for a true and everlasting joy, that quote isn’t too far from the mark because scripture points us to a Person to love, who calls us to do His will, but in whom we find perfect and everlasting hope. Let me invite you to take a moment to read our passage for this week, Psalm 16:5-11, but do so with an open and thankful heart.

May the Joy of the Lord be with you.

Josh