In this season of busyness, tradition, fun, exhaustion, Jimmy Stewart-induced nostalgia, and TONS of glitter, there is still a tendency for some to be a little joy-LESS. While there are a select few who may in fact naturally fall under the Grinch or Scrooge category… I’m mainly addressing those who may feel that JOY is only a word plastered on sparkly baubles and trinkets- not necessarily a condition of their hearts. While happiness is circumstantial, joy truly is a heart condition. It’s not always a smile on the face but instead a peace in the heart. For believers in Christ, this is ESSENTIAL to our walk with Jesus and our efficacy as witnesses. After all, Christians- more than anyone else- have an eternal reason to be joyful! Not always the case though, is it?
While there are countless things that can cause joy to wane, I want to focus on one HUGE reason in particular, seeing as how it can be a very easy trap to fall into during the holidays.
Here it is folks:
Here’s what I mean: I would say that the main reason we lose our joy in the middle of chaos/busyness/stress/etc. is simply because we are no longer present in the immediate and are too busy concentrating on what we “should be” doing, feeling, saying, preparing for, and so on. Think about it! Just picture the last time you were short-tempered or sharp with someone when they did nothing to deserve it. Was it possibly because there was something else that you had your mind on and you just didn’t “have time” for whatever they were bringing to the table?
I am TERRIBLE about doing this, especially with my family. ((SHAME)) I know- you never do that, right? I could come up with all kinds of excuses: I’m a planner, I like looking at the “big picture” instead of the little details, I have too much to get done, sound familiar? All of these things are true, and are fine when it is TIME to do those things… but I should never get so caught up in what I think I have to do, that I neglect whatever I’m {supposed} to be doing in that moment. Because of this, I often get irritated with whatever IS in the moment because my mind is too busy trying to get other things done. The result? Aggravated wife, short-tempered Mama, and injured relationships. Ouch.
We live in a society that immediately feeds our mind anything it wants and then stresses how important it is that we move on to the “next thing” as soon as we’re done. We may think we are being a good worker or efficient parent, but how many things have suffered in the wake of our productivity? This is not to say that there isn’t a time to work! In those times, we can gently move the unnecessary distractions aside and focus… but we have to know what (or who) is necessary at that particular time.
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven–
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace…
He has made everything appropriate in its time.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11)
I can’t help but hear The Byrds singing that when I read it… but it did start with Scripture.
Point being- Yes, there are times to focus on work, even when kids are vying for our attention (they have to learn patience and selflessness just like we do), but we have to grow up and know when we should keep working and when to stop for the interruption. This is where our joy comes in: no matter what is necessary at a certain moment, it is in THAT moment that we have to be completely present. If not, we give up our full focus and our ability to peacefully embrace what God might be doing in a situation. Even if the situation is as small as reading a short book to a cuddly 3 year old.
Need a better example? OK- Want to be like Jesus? Well, there ya go… Jesus’ ENTIRE ministry was chock-full of interruptions. I can imagine that there were plenty of times that Jesus may have indeed turned down a request or two, but simply looking at Scripture- we see that whenever there was a true need, even if He was busy with something else, He put Himself fully into whatever was the most important. Jesus was never short-tempered due to not having the time to stop and address the issue; He was never impatient when He had somewhere else to be and a need presented itself. He was fully involved in every moment. How much calmer would we be if we allowed ourselves a “time” for everything and were completely present in that time?
FOCUS IS ESSENTIAL BUT MUST CARRY WITH IT A BALANCED MEASURE OF INTERRUPT-ABILITY.
Let’s look at just one time where Jesus was clearly interrupted. This event took place after John the Baptist (Jesus’ cousin and good friend) was beheaded. News got to Jesus and He wanted to mourn the loss in peace.
Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.
(Matthew 14:13-14)
There are a few things I’d like to point out here:
1. Jesus loved John deeply and although He knew death was not final, He was still just as much human as He was Deity, and still mourned.
2. This probably wasn’t a little 10 minute boat ride that Jesus wanted to take. He had to get on the boat and be on long enough for word to spread where He was and for people to follow Him, on foot, from the cities- meaning- more than 1 city. Jesus was clearly needing some alone time to grieve, but the people needed Him too.
3. Even in the midst of His painful grief, Jesus had compassion on the needs of the people and did what was necessary in that moment. He still mourned and did not simply ignore that fact- but put Himself completely in the present moment in order to accomplish the Father’s will.
Jesus, even in the middle of His pain, knew the importance of staying in the present.
We can learn from the past and plan for the future, we can work responsibly and accomplish great things- but we cannot forget that it is in the present that God works in and through us. We will see a difference in ourselves when we start to make “Present-Living” a priority, and the people around us will too.
We exchange gifts during Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and to mimic the gift-giving of the wise men. Let’s all take a step back from stressing about the toys, tools, and tinsel, and resolve to give ourselves fully in the moments we share with those on our list. Trust me when I say, there is joy to be found when the present moment is actually lived in and the ones you love are involved in that moment.
Leave a Reply