When I think of “joy” these are just a few of the things that come to mind. 

1. My Pastor has pretty much ingrained in me that Joy stands for Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last. God should be first and foremost in our lives, and we shall operate in a spirit of humility, not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less, therefore putting others before ourselves. 
2. Scripture: 

• • May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
  • Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:4
  • You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

“All joy”, “rejoice in the Lord always”, “fullness of joy”… to me this speaks that joy does not originate from us, but is given to us by God, it is something that is ours and ours to keep because the Holy Spirit resides in us! 

However, I can not speak of joy without thinking about the realities of life, hardships, trials and tribulations that many of us experience or think about during the holiday season especially. Grief being one of those things. I think of my Dad no longer being here and my Nana who passed away in December of last year. The bittersweet feeling that we will be celebrating my son Malachi’s first Christmas without those that have gone before us. However, those are my feelings, and through healing and grief work, I have come to a place of understanding that feelings are merely that, feelings, they’re not facts.

3. This brings me to my third point. A friend of mine, Caleb McCoy, recently released a new album, and one of the songs is called “Joy”. In the lyrics he says that joy “isn’t just a feeling, it is a state of being”. I have joy despite the grief, despite the hardships that I currently face, despite the injustice in the world and in the communities around me, because God is with me, will never leave nor forsake me. Joy is mine, mine to have, to hold, to cherish and appreciate. I have joy deep in my soul, because God is good, and so incredibly worthy to be praised. 

This Advent season as we prepare for Christmas, awaiting and preparing for both the celebration of Jesus’ birth and the return of Christ at the Second Coming, may we meditate on His word, His truths and promises. May we have and hold joy in our hearts. May we take time to be still in the midst of hustle and bustle, not getting caught up in the consumerism of our society being reminded that Jesus is the true reason for the season. Nehemiah 8:10 in The Message translation tells us to “Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don’t have anything: This day is holy to God. Don’t feel bad. The joy of GOD is your strength!”. Let God strengthen us, keep us rejoicing always, and remind us to share that joy, love and peace with others, our brothers and sisters, both near and far who don’t have.