An Advent Reflection
As I sit and reflect on the last couple of weeks snow rests softly on our road and the houses in our neighborhood. Everything was canceled today because of it, and I am grateful. Sometimes we need to take a rest and embrace canceled plans. Today, we are observing Week Three of Advent.
This week’s candle is joy.
When reflecting on this week’s word, I thought about how joy can be confusing and bring up complicated emotions. There can be a misconception that joy equals happiness, that it requires denying our emotional experience, or that it is something we can manufacture. In the midst of suffering, we may experience guilt because there can be this surface-level expectation from our culture that we must “suffer well,” even though we are only human. I think there can also be an opposite experience where it is difficult to be joyful because we are stuck in our negative emotions, and all we focus on is the bad until it clouds our thinking, and before we know it, we are surrounded by the darkness of our circumstances.
Luke 2:8–14 (NIV) says:
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
One of the things I love about the Bible and Jesus is that He gives us alternate ways to exist in the world and alternate ways of being. It is a counter-cultural way of thinking that I can experience pain and yet have joy in the Lord– that I can hold these two complicated emotions at the same time. In the passage above, the angels come to the shepherds, who were considered lowly, in the midst of a time when there was waiting, pain, and suffering. Similarly, in our world and circumstances, we can have joy because Jesus has come and will return. The Prince of Peace will one day restore what has been broken, and we can rejoice in that promise.
John 15:9–11 (NIV) tells us:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Jesus spoke these words before His crucifixion. Joy is cultivated through abiding and through being in relationship with Jesus. Through Him, we can have joy in knowing that one day all will be made new, and joy in knowing that He can empathize with our suffering because He, too, suffered. I believe He weeps when we weep and delights in our joy as well. He is a loving and perfect Father. No matter what we are facing this Christmas season—whether infertility, sickness, or grief—we can have peace, faith, joy, and hope because of Jesus. It is okay to not be okay, and we can rest in His comfort if we allow ourselves to.
Scripture shows that joy doesn’t erase sorrow; it accompanies it. We can hold grief in one hand and joy in the other—and God meets us in both.
Sometimes there can be a misunderstanding that God cannot handle the full range of our emotions, but that is not true. He desires to hear about our lives, and He created our emotions—He is God. When we allow this false belief to creep into our minds, we make God small. He can handle our anger, our sorrow, and every feeling we carry, and He longs to be with us in our pain. Psalm 34:18 reminds us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”
Joy is something we cannot force, but we can cultivate and embrace it. Embracing joy means slowing down enough to notice it, trusting that God is with us in our circumstances, and allowing joy to coexist with our pain or suffering. We embrace joy by drawing near to our Lord and Savior and by cultivating a daily, ongoing relationship with Him.
Ways to Embrace Joy
- Slowing down and noticing the small joys woven through our days
- Prayer and quiet moments with Jesus
- Journaling or writing a letter to God
- Spending time in worship and allowing truth to settle into our hearts
- Resting in the comfort of Scripture
- Creating comforting and affirming statements rooted in truth
- Seeking community when we need support and connection
Lastly, we can embrace joy by naming our emotions, giving ourselves permission to feel them, and handing them to Jesus when they become too much for us to hold. We can gently say to ourselves, “I can carry sadness and still receive the small joys God places in my day.”
As we end for today, take a moment to sit in God’s presence. Slow down, breathe, and share with Jesus what has been heavy on your heart. Use the truth-filled statement above—perhaps adding a Scripture to it—to gently speak to your soul. Then rest in His joy.
May you find small, unexpected joys meeting you in the middle of your real life this week—quiet, steady reminders that Christ is near.
-Chrissy Rose
Scriptures to Carry With You This Week
- Luke 2:8-14
- John 15:9-11
- Isaiah 35:1–10
- Psalm 146:5–10
- Luke 1:46–55
Inquisitive Adventures 
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