I had a nice talk with a friend. She was feeling a little sad, I think. I'm pretty sure she was feeling a bit overwhelmed by life and the difficulty of it.
I tried to convey to her that I think most women (and really, most humans) feel the way she was telling me she felt. And that everyone struggles and feels frustrated at times. She expressed frustration with the truth: but they don't say anything about it!
She is correct, for the most part. Most people want everyone to think they have it all together. They don't want anyone to see their weakness. This is a problem, I think. Because it creates a false front. A facade. Facades eventually fall. Why not just be who you are?
The main reason I'm writing now, though is to express something that I feel so strongly about. Here is it... joy is not necessarily about a constant state. Certainly, that could be possible. But I feel so strongly that joy is in the moment. I believe we can be under a dark cloud and experience a moment of joy as we realize how lovely the flashing lightning is.
To me, joy is in the moments. To stretch joy... I think joy is also part of enjoyment. For instance, when we have a conversation with someone and enjoy it... maybe that is a moment of joy! Maybe joy is not ONLY a point of arrival at which we feel really happy and continue to feel that way... but moments of peace, contentment and enjoyment with darkness entirely surrounding.
Happiness is a form of joy. Fun... not so much. Can one find happiness in fun. Yes, I think so. But fun, to my way of thinking, is often found in time wasting and mind burning/numbing activities. I just see happiness and joy as so much deeper and far reaching than fun.
"Men are that they might have joy." This is the purpose of our creation. So, I want to encourage you to see happiness and moments of enjoyment for what they really are: small bits of joy... like gold leaf, can pile up and make something truly beautiful out of whatever it may be... even if what it is, is poop.
LINKED
3 comments:
Wow thank you for posting your thoughts! It was very thought-provoking to read. Joy IS so much deeper and meaningful than "having fun". Through my personal life experiences I see that true joy comes from the Lord, because He saved me in spite of who I am and what I did :)
Good stuff! Blessings and JOY to you today!
Mrs. Sarah Coller
Thank you Mrs. Sarah. I hope as much for you, too.
Dee, totally agree! God's grace is more amazing than I can comprehend! ^_^
Post a Comment