Advent: Joy Among the Grief

On the wall in my office hangs a bulletin board filled with pictures and obituaries of friends who have passed away. Eight loved ones in the last 6 years.

So much loss in such a short time.

These weren’t friends who were elderly and longing to meet Jesus, but rather fathers and mothers and their children who still had years ahead of them and whose families still grieve their sudden loss.

What do you do with so much loss in a season that claims to be all about joy?

How do you embrace Christmas when your heart is heavy with grief?

WHAT IS JOY?

This Advent week is all about JOY, and maybe the question we should be asking is: what does it mean to be joyful? Perhaps our problem with finding joy is linked misunderstanding what it truly means.  If we don’t understand joy, we most definitely won’t find it.

As a child, I remember feeling so much excitement around the Christmas season. Whether it was getting a new Christmas dress, participating in the church program, or seeing the piles of gifts under the tree, my heart was joyfully anticipating the magic of the day. But I’m not a child anymore, and what once brought me joy now seems like a chore.

There is no magic at Christmas as an adult – just a mom working hard to make it special for everyone except herself. Just a mom overwhelmed by life’s changes and struggling to find joy among the grief.

I was reminded this morning during my quiet time that my joy isn’t found in the magic of Christmas but in the person of Jesus Christ. In Psalm 43:4, the Psalmist wrote,

“Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.”

Is God your JOY?

This verse reminds me that if I had nothing left in this world – if I was stranded on an island and stripped of all my possessions – it would still be possible to find joy because God is with me. (I have to admit though, at this point in winter, being stranded on a tropical island sounds divine:)

The secret is taking the time to deliberately meditate on this truth. If we rush through the season in a frenzy, we will find ourselves stressed and frazzled. Meditating doesn’t have to take hours; in fact, I find some of the best times are while I’m driving in my vehicle to work or washing the dishes. These mundane moments may be brief, but God uses them to bring my focus back to Him and awaken my senses to His presence.

PONDERING JOY

When I ponder this truth, I find my heart beginning to lift with a quiet joy that goes beyond the hard things in my life.

It’s a JOY for weary moms and broken grownups with scarred hearts.

It’s a JOY that acknowledges the grief and uncertainty of life but also celebrates the future that awaits all of God’s children – a future beyond our imaginations and far exceeding a child’s excitement at Christmas time.

It’s a JOY that renews your strength and sets our eyes on things above.

And best of all, it’s a JOY available to you today because God is available to you today.

My friend, if you are in the waves of grief, I pray you will find JOY today - meaning: I pray you find God today.