I LEARNED A LONG TIME AGO THAT THE CHRISTMAS SEASON IS A MAXIMIZER OF FEELINGS. IT'S WHY A LOT OF PEOPLE LOVE IT, BECAUSE CHRISTMAS MAXIMIZES THE FEELINGS OF NOSTALGIA, COMMUNITY, AND FAMILY. IT'S ALSO THE REASON WHY MANY PEOPLE DREAD THIS SEASON, BECAUSE IT MAXIMIZES THOSE FEELINGS OF LOSS OR LONELINESS OR GRIEF.
I DON'T KNOW WHICH FEELINGS FOR YOU ARE MAXIMIZED DURING THIS SEASON, BUT I DO KNOW ONE FEELING THAT IS ATTAINABLE FOR ALL OF US. THAT FEELING IS JOY. NOW, I CAN'T MENTION JOY IN THIS SEASON WITHOUT THINKING OF THE OPENING LINE OF "JOY TO THE WORLD".
"JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD IS COME! "LET EARTH RECEIVE HER KING. .
. " THE JOY THAT WE CAN ALL RELISH IN, THE JOY WE CAN ALL TAKE PART IN, IS IN THE FACT THAT THE LORD HAS COME. THIS CAROL WAS INSPIRED BY THE 98TH PSALM, WHICH SAYS, "MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH; "BREAK FORTH INTO JOYOUS SONG AND SING PRAISES!
" NOW, I KNOW THIS IS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT JOY, AND YOU MAY BE SITTING THERE WONDERING, "HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE "IN THE MIDDLE OF MY CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES? " BUT I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THE REASON WHY WE CAN HAVE THE JOY THAT THIS PSALM IS REFERRING TO IS BECAUSE WITH GOD JOY CAN BE FOUND IN SPITE OF CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES. IN SPITE OF THE LOSS, IN SPITE OF THE PAIN, WE CAN STILL HAVE JOY.
JOY THAT COMES FROM GOD ISN'T PREDICATED ON CIRCUMSTANCES. AND MY PRAYER FOR YOU THIS HOLIDAY SEASON IS THAT THE FEELING OF JOY IS MAXIMIZED IN YOUR LIFE, EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF HARD CIRCUMSTANCES.
