An Oxymoron

**Please take one minute to sit, breathe deeply and seek quiet.**

    I recently watched a friend singing “Joy to the World”, knowing that his world had fallen apart and he was struggling deeply. I thought to myself, an oxymoron is living out before my eyes.
    Sometimes life seems anything but joyful. It is difficult to find joy in the midst of loss, pain and anxiety. It is difficult to find joy in the midst of hardship and heartache because these things in and of themselves do not contain joy. They contain confusion, chaos and suffering. Joy is very difficult to find because it is not there. But Jesus is. Jesus is with us in the confusion, the chaos, the suffering. Joy may be difficult to find but Jesus is there. Jesus is our joy and he is with us. He is with us in the suffering, in the loss, in the “I can’t breathe because this is so painful” moments. There can be joy because we have Jesus. He is the only reason that there can be joy in the midst of evil, pain and suffering.
    We live life as an oxymoron of joy and pain, Jesus and suffering. He lived life as an oxymoron and we rest in the tension because we know the joy that is relationship with Jesus.

**Please take as much time as is possible to sit and reflect.**

 

Joy and Grief

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Life is full of bittersweet moments. Saying hello to one thing often requires saying goodbye to another. A new job means that we get to serve in ways more in line with our gifts and calling yet this means we say goodbye to a work team. We say hello to a new in-law and goodbye to holidays as they have been when it was just “us”.
    As we live more life we find that joy and grief often come as a pair. There is great joy as a friend receives a promotion and great grief as we are reminded that another friend is without a job. There is great joy as children receive life-saving medication and great grief as the similar children die because there is no life-saving medication.
    We are called to rejoice with those who rejoice and grieve with those who grieve. There are times when we rejoice because a friend has a dream come true. We truly are excited for them, but it is challenging to rejoice because we have to wait for our dream to come true, or maybe it never does. We grieve when another is grieving the loss of a loved one and feel a sense of guilt because our loved one remains here with us.
    Joy and grief are realities that are often tensions. Are you experiencing a life tension of joy and grief? If so, talk to God about it. Sit and listen to what He would speak to your heart and be encouraged.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**