the joy

think of a time when you experienced true joy.

that was what i asked the young adults at sunday school a couple of weeks ago. then this past monday i sat in on the spiritual group time in the psych unit at the hospital, and my coordinating chaplain asked them to think about the same thing. guess what? i heard very similar answers. i realized it doesn't matter where we find ourselves or the state of our mental health...it seems that there is commonality in how humanity experiences true joy. all of their answers had something to do with being in relationship with another and/or the Divine.

i agree. i have found that true joy comes from being in relationship with another where God is acknowledged.

these last couple of weeks i have been in relationship with lots of different people in the hospital and it has been joyful. does that sound weird? i mean i am witnessing such painful situations. sometimes the pain is physical and often it is emotional and spiritual. but joy is what i feel after i have spent time with people in this pain. hearing their stories. listening to their doubts. learning from their faith. being connected to them for just a moment through the power of the Holy Spirit...strangers experience being in relationship with each other in the presence of God and because of God...there en lies the joy.

i prayed with a woman whose family of 5 lives on $50 in food stamps each month. she was so upset that she was in the hospital because she needed to be home to care for her adopted grandchildren. after a long talk, we prayed for the Lord's provision. later that day she saw me walking down the hall and called out to me with joy. she was on her way home and the doctor had just been in to say that he knew she did not have insurance and he would not be sending a bill. she gave all the glory to God.

i celebrated with a woman who couldn't wait to share with me that they only found cancer in one spot on her brain. her children sat in her room baffled by her joy. they were paralyzed by the fact that she had cancer. but enlight of our conversation the day before, i knew that she was simply praising God that her body was not consumed by it. she gave all the glory to God.

i cried with a woman who had been so joyful the last time i saw her but this day she was in a dark place. she was frustrated by the limitations of her body. she had both knees replaced during the summer and was now recovering from brain surgery. all she wanted to do was go home and kneel down and work in her garden. we read a couple psalms of lament. tears were flowing, but after sitting with the pain for about 30 minutes, i saw her move towards praise. she wanted to read more. before my very eyes, i watched God comfort her with God's words. she was thankful for her life. she gave all the glory to God.

these are just a few of the many relationships i have experienced over the last couple of weeks. i jot down stories everyday in my mind, but i have found little time to write at night before i pour myself into bed. these relationships are fleeting but sacred. however, i have found that if we just allow ourselves to take some time to be still and intentional about listening to another human being we experience the joy that our soul longs for. it's a feeling i have a hard time expressing. it's something that i know only comes from God.

think of a time when you experienced true joy.