Along the journey towards the greater, there are many small, daily steps to better understand oneself, God, and others. This is one of my “daily steps”.
I wonder if, as a planner, I don’t allow very often the unexpected to cause me joy.
After a trip to the donut shop this morning, I was walking my oldest through the halls of my school explaining all the exciting things coming up this next week. He smiled so bright up at me and said about a dozen times (thank you, sugar) “I am so excited, so excited, so excited!” As the words tumbled out of him, he scrunched up his whole face in joyful anticipation. Meanwhile, a freshman lingered nearby studying for his exam. He looked up in surprise at the unexpected burst of excitement coming from a first grader. His eyes followed us through the hallway, and I wonder if a little joy leaked onto him.
There are lists, we all check them twice this holiday season. Then, there are the unexpected moments – the delayed flights, the flat tires, the packages that don’t arrive on time. And perhaps there are also the unexpected moments when we are sad or anxious or lonely, and we encounter joy walking right down the hall towards us.⠀
As we continue to head through this third week of #advent on #joy, I am pausing today to pray that we all have unexpected moments of #joy this week and we let them surprise and delight us!⠀
This is my #prayer for you today by #HenriNouwen:
“Lord Jesus,⠀
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. ⠀
We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,⠀
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.⠀
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.⠀
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.⠀
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.⠀
To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!’⠀
Amen.”
Where can you be surprised by joy today?
