Advent Day 16 - Choose Joy

Yesterday’s devotion was written by two of our folks - Emma and Mary - Emma’s was simply sharing words from Philippians 4:4-7 which starts in the translation she used, “Always be full of joy in the Lord.” That is a beautiful exhortation but as we all know it is hard to do. There is much that seeks to sap us of joy - things both internal and external to us. But there is a choice that we can make. Just like the signs I wrote about several months ago that were posted in various places around town that simply said, “Choose Joy.” Choosing to have the joy of the Lord in all circumstances doesn’t mean that we are ignoring what is really happening but it is having a perspective that reminds us that there is someone bigger at work.

Mary’s reflection tied to this in that she wrote about the power of a single lit candle and how it focuses her attention on Jesus. She wrote:

For me the light of the candle represents the Christ child promise of hope and forgiveness that can soothe my heart. It gives me energy and direction each day to reorder my thinking and priorities.

“Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12

So like this picture, there is much out there that can draw our attention but you’ll notice that there is one bulb totally in focus, one light that stands out among the rest. To me, that is the joy of Christ to hold to no matter what.