December 30. Five days past Christmas. The tree is down. The gifts are put away. The house is quiet. And you are sitting with a question: how do I hold onto this?
Joy is one of the fruit of the Spirit. It is not happiness. Happiness is circumstantial, dependent on things going well. Joy is deeper. Joy is the settled confidence that God is with you, regardless of your circumstances. And that is what Christmas announces: God is with us. Emmanuel.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Philippians 4:4Paul wrote that from prison. He had every reason to be depressed, discouraged, and defeated. But he wrote about joy. Not because things were going well, but because the source of his joy was not dependent on things going well. The source of his joy was the presence of Christ, and that presence did not change based on his circumstances.
The Practice of Joy
You have to practice joy. It does not happen automatically. The world will try to steal your joy. Bills, responsibilities, relationships, news, politics, the constant noise. All of it is designed to push joy out of you. And you have to decide, every day, to return to the source.
Christmastide is a practice. It is twelve days of choosing joy. Not because the calendar says so, but because the event deserves it. The Son of God was born. The Word became flesh. The King came to rescue the world. That is worth twelve days. It is worth every day.
So if the joy of Christmas has faded, return to it today. Go back to the story. Read the nativity. Sing the carols. Sit with the image of God in a manger. And let the joy return. Not because it is a holiday, but because it is true.
Where Is Your Joy?
Where has your joy gone? Is it in circumstances? In relationships? In achievements? In things you can lose? Or is it in the one thing that cannot be taken: the presence of God with you? Today is a chance to locate your joy and return it to the source.
Father, I want to hold onto the joy. Not the happiness that comes and goes, but the deep, settled joy that knows you are with me. Help me to practice it. To return to it when it fades. To find it in the place it cannot be stolen: in the presence of your Son, born in Bethlehem, living in me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
With honesty and hope,
Claire