Joy

For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17).

We can pretty much predict when happiness comes. It is right there at the beginning of the word—hap, which refers to chance or luck or a favorable event that pleases us. Winning the game, success at work, a kind word or smile, these all bring happiness.

But joy is more elusive ... and deeper. It flows from the heart’s inner room when our soul is satisfied, one with the Love who is our home.

Joy releases silent tears that wash away everything else but its presence. It floods the heart with a wave of warmth and gratitude, sometimes for no reason we can see.

You never know when it might appear. It's free, like the wind. Joy can come in the midst of grief, like when we savor the smile of a soul no longer with us, or for the gift of simply being alive on a fresh April morning. 

Joy can never be reduced to words, and when it washes over you it is best not to try. It’s like trying to snatch morning light in your hand as it filers through the blinds. The most and best you can ever say is, "Thank you," to the wondrous mystery from whom it comes. 

Ultimately, joy is the fulfillment of our humanity, as the Love in whose image we are made awakens at our core, filling us whole until it pours from our pores and leaks through our eyes. 

And every time it comes, you know: This is my home, the One from whom I came and the One to whom I will go. 

Pr. David L. Miller