12.22.23 - Psalm 118:24
There's a tension between joy and pain. A season of renewal amidst challenges of suffering and pain. Ignoring one for the other seems misguided. How might you them both in tension today?
This is the day God has made. Let’s rejoice and be glad today!
My holidays are often filled with the messiest of messy moments.
The never-ending sink filled with dishes, the overcooked breakfast casserole, the inevitable fatigue from chronic illness that means I can’t enjoy things as I’d like.
Not to mention financial constraints, poverty, family tensions, being away from loved ones, anxieties about the future, the loss of loved ones, displacement, and so much more.
How can we rejoice when things are hard?
For me, it’s looking for the pockets of joy, those imperfect moments reminding me to have gratitude. Though those moments may be small, they are also very powerful.
What rituals can you create to find small moments of joy each day? How can we "rejoice and be glad" while still acknowledging the realities of pain and suffering in our world?
--Amanda Creek