Joy for the Journey

Term 4 is a full term. Assessments, performances, reports and the pull of the end of the year all arrive together. It is easy to find ourselves saying, “I’ll feel joyful when this is over.”

On Monday our staff spent time together thinking about exactly that. Drawing on input from Pastor Matt Destry of Discovery Church, we each wrote down the things we say we will feel joyful about once something else happens. Then we looked again at which of those statements made joy conditional and rewrote them.

It was a confronting exercise. Many of us had quietly treated joy as a reward. It was something to be earned once the marking was done, the inbox was clear or the holidays began. Joy became the finish line, and until we crossed it we simply pushed on. I suspect many parents know that feeling well.

Scripture paints a different picture. When the people of Israel gathered in Nehemiah’s day to hear the law read, they wept at how far they had fallen short. Nehemiah told them not to grieve, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Joy wasn’t handed out once they had fixed everything. They still had walls to finish and a community to rebuild. Joy was what would carry them through the work still ahead.

Jesus says something similar in John 15. He describes himself as the vine and us as the branches. A branch doesn’t strain to produce fruit. It stays connected and receives what it needs. Then he says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Joy is given, not achieved. It flows from staying close to him.

Matt put it simply on Monday: “Joy is not an indulgence but sustenance.” We don’t save it for the end of a busy season. We need it in the middle of one. Like a good meal, it isn’t a treat for when the work is done. It is what makes the work possible.

So, for the weeks ahead, I’d like to offer a small invitation rather than another item for the list. Listen for the “I’ll be happy when...” moments in your own home and gently turn them around. Then look for one ordinary moment each week to simply enjoy with your children. A meal, a walk, a conversation in the car. It doesn’t need to be productive. Our children learn a great deal about joy by watching where we find ours. I’ll be trying to do the same, both at school and at home.

Have a great week.