“Joy is the serious business of heaven.”

—C.S. Lewis

 

This past week I was invited to a special Christmas concert to celebrate and support DayStar, a beloved Christian counseling service for Kids. The music was heaven sent from the Belmont Choir to Vince Gill and Don Sclitz singing The Gambler. But it was the final words of the MC for the evening that deeply resonated. She said, “Many here tonight, like myself, have had a really difficult, maybe even excruciating year. Yet, and despite it all, we STILL HAVE JOY!

 

When your world, The World, comes undone, “happy” can feel trite—and impossible. But joy is altogether something else. It is a holy, spiritual activity. We cannot manufacture it on our own, it is given to us by God. Right now, juggling the griefs and glories of being human, God has given you and me reason to still, and always feel joy.

 

Joy is knowing that underneath everything are the Everlasting Arms.

 

Joy is when God feels so near, as close as one’s heartbeat and as near as one’s breath.

 

Joy is when heaven breaks through time and space and we receive grace, especially when we didn’t deserve it, but it gives us exactly what we need to keep going.

 

Joy is experiencing any little bit of that supernatural peace that only God can give in moments of darkness, uncertainty, and sorrow.

 

Joy is feeling that beautiful, stubborn flicker of hope inside at work—refusing to go out.

 

Joy is the gift of another day to live and love on this planet which means God still has something for us.

 

Joy is when an ordinary, mundane moment becomes holy and we feel grateful to be alive.

 

Joy is knowing that God loves us. Period.

 

Joy is the promise that when this life comes to an end, God has something else for us.

 

Whatever you have gone through, or are going through, let yourself feel joy.

 

I wish you a very Merry Christmas! See you in 2026!