Joyfully Seizing the Day

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Webster's secondary definition of joy is "something that gives pleasure..." And a Biblical definition goes on to note that joy is based on who God is, rather than who we are or what is happening around us. Webster's secondary definition of happiness is a pleasurable or satisfying experience. I think it's important, especially in modern times, to differentiate between joy and happiness. To sum it up, joy is not dependent upon circumstances, especially a Biblical definition. It's based on a relationship to a higher being (God). Happiness is momentary. 

While a circumstance can contribute to joy, it isn't the basis of it. And joy can, at times, result in a feeling of happiness. Joy is a state of being, happiness is an emotion.

Sometimes, even when things don't appear to be great, it's a good thing to remember what joy looks like. 

For one thing, joy isn't dependent upon circumstances. And it can show up in the smallest, seemingly insignificant ways.

For instance, earlier this week I was scheduled to have routine lab work done. Not a big deal, at all. But I had to choose which day of the week to go to the lab. 

So, I initially picked this Friday.

I took this option because one of the lab tests involved fasting, so I wanted to get to the lab early - and the weather forecast called for a relatively clear morning that day. I had even scrawled "don't eat breakfast Friday," on a post-it note, and stuck it to my kitchen cabinet as a reminder.

But then, on Wednesday, I woke to a very clear street outside. The winter weather that was predicted to happen overnight hadn't hit. The short commute to the lab would be easy-peasy.

As soon as I peeked through the front-window curtains to discover this, a huge grin came to my face and I actually shouted "thank you!" to God. (I could do this because I live alone and I wasn't going to wake anyone up.)

I walked out of the lab smiling! The blood draw was uneventful. The lab reception person and the technician were extremely pleasant. 

But it didn't stop there.

On the way home, I decided to fill up my car at the gas station that was practically across the street. And I saved five cents per gallon because I used a special credit card that has this benefit. 

Within a half-hour, I had gone to the lab, had blood drawn, filled up my car's gas tank, and was home.

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Once home I had a wonderful breakfast (full disclosure: including coffee, bagel, cheese omelet, and grated potatoes).

All of these things were stuff-of-life situations. Very small occurrences that would normally go unnoticed. But that day, they led to such gratefulness I could hardly contain it!

And the joy continued!

Later that same day, a good friend of mine texted me to say she had contracted Covid. I texted back to see if she wanted to pray. She did. So, we spent a few minutes on the phone praying for her recovery. To be clear, I'm not at all joyful that my friend has Covid, But I'm joyful we had a chance to pray. 

Is joy always appropriate in all tough situations? Probably not. But it is a lot easier to offer a listening ear, or be empathetic with joy nurturing a wellspring of thankfulness.

And as I'm writing these words, I'm looking out the same living room window and seeing lots of snow falling. It is about 15 degrees outside and the roads are slick. If I had kept to my original plan of going to the lab this morning it would have been a completely different situation.

Of course, the icing on the cake is that none of this joyfulness was planned. It just spontaneously happened because of looking out the window and seizing the day - a carpe deim moment in action.

So, what's my point?

Very simply: Joy is all around us. Oftentimes in very small ways. It's up to us to focus on it and take the opportunity to be thankful.

While a circumstance can contribute to joy, it isn't the basis of it. And joy can, at times, result in a feeling of happiness. Joy is a state of being, happiness is an emotion. 

Why not take a moment, sit down, gently relax your muscles, and begin to answer the question: What gives me joy? (Remembering, joy isn't a feeling, it's a state of being, not dependent upon circumstances).