My self-imposed challenge to post every day for Advent was rudely interrupted by the Great Black Plague of 2015. First Keaton got it, then about 48 hours later the other three of us got it at the same time. It was ugly, friends. The silver lining is that I already lost five pounds on my Christmas vacation, and we all feel like living, breathing human beings again well before Christmas. Let's focus on that.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
Lucado's devotional surrounding this scripture is about the way that Jesus had joy in all that He did. He left his majestic kingdom of heaven and came to earth where He never owned anything or had a place to call home. The circumstances in His life were mostly awful. People hated him, used him, even murdered him. And He subjected Himself to it all willingly and with joy.
The Christian radio station we often listen to is challenging its listeners to "choose joy" this holiday season. Today as I was in the hair salon, I overheard another customer telling her stylist about some family drama or other but that she was "choosing joy" instead of letting that get the best of her. The Facebook-Win-of-the-Day goes to a share from my friend Emily R. and is about choosing joy: "39 weeks pregnant AND sick. This stinks...Could be worse I guess. I could be facing a 3-day journey on a jackass."
Being joyful is, in fact, always a choice.
So my prayer today is that I will deliberately choose to be joyful throughout the rest of this Advent season. That my perspective will be from Jesus - the one who chose joy through horrible suffering, and did so out of love for me. Amen.
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