In All Things, Joy.

In these last few weeks I have been blessed to re-discover the real meaning of the Joy that is God's gift because of Christmas. A belief that I pretty much grew up with is that "Christmas Joy" comes from getting into the whole Christmas experience, i.e., enjoying beautifully decorated trees and homes, Christmas goodies such as fudge, pies, cut out cookies with frosting, Christmas music, etc., etc.. While all these things can bring a smile to our faces and a warmth deep within, Real Joy is, in no way, a by-product of even the best of Christmas traditions.

My experience in the last several days has reminded again of this truth. A few weeks back, I underwent some pretty minor knee surgery, and was anticipating a very quick recovery (I have been blessed throughout my life with excellent health, so I have little patience when things aren't working quite as they should).  When my recovery wasn't coming along near as fast as I was hoping for, I found myself beginning to complain and to live life in the future, i.e., WHEN I get better, these are the things I want/need to do! My physical hindrance was keeping me from activities that would lead to "Christmas Joy".    

True Joy comes only out of a genuine relationship with Jesus (Emmanuel, God with us) - it is a manifestation of knowing Him, and, it's not just a Christmas experience. It is active in every minute of every day, as long as we take time to renew and refresh our relationship with Jesus. Joy doesn't depend on "when's or if's". There are so many people this Christmas season suffering from FAR more than the complications of minor knee surgery- the loss of loved ones, the loss of employment, fractured relationships, major health issues, etc... Knowing Jesus certainly does not insure that all these problems will be instantly solved, but Joy is still an undeniable reality TODAY, not WHEN my troubles cease. Thank you Jesus for being enough for us TODAY!