I’ve been reading about joy and celebration in the Bible, and I admit I’ve struggled with the word ‘joy’. I’m not sure I can recognize the difference between it and happiness, but I think God is teaching me in the shadows.
People often say their wedding day was the happiest of their lives. That is not true of mine. When I looked back at my wedding album the other day, two words kept rolling around and around in my head. I could see them flashing in my mind’s eye.
PURE.
JOY.
It was written all over our faces.
Then, I read Henri Nouwen’s definition:
“Joy is the experience of knowing that you’re unconditionally loved and that nothing – sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death – can take that love away.”
I confess: I struggle with knowing God loves me personally & unconditionally. The only picture I have of grasping even a momentary glimpse of it was the day I got married.
This year has been the hardest of my life.
It has been gut-wrenching….
painful….
sad…
confusing…
and overwhelming.
But I’ve learned a lot about unconditional love and what it requires of us.
I can’t imagine Jesus having that love for me.
But I’m learning.
I pray one day, I can grasp it!
I hope you grasp it too.