Jazzed with irrepressible joy!

Our church, Unity Center – A Church of Positive Prayer — opens every service with the Unity Daily Word. Last Sunday, May 20, the daily word was Joy and the subtitle: Jazzed with irrepressible joy! Too rich to pass by, it became title and theme for the Sunday lesson.

What is Joy?
We typically think of joy and happiness as synonymous. Not so. Joy is the cause, happiness the result. Joy is our spiritual possession. No, it’s more than that; we are made of joy. Spirit is joy. Love is joy. Joy is a spiritual substance we can lay hold of and use. The joy of the Lord is your strength. (Neh. 8:10)

How do we get jazzed by joy?
The secret — but it shouldn’t be — is not to look for joy, not to wait for joy, not to expect joy. The Truth is that we are joy, and so it’s true that we only have to know that we are joy.

A little concentration on feeling it is all it takes. And once it’s felt — or even if you suspect you’re feeling it — let it out. Express it. Share it. Let others know you feel joy, you are joy. And they are, too.

How do you express it? A smile works. Pleasant words, such as a sincere, “Hello, how are you?” when you make the time to wait and hear their answer, work. Consciously feeling your/you’re joy in the presence of others works. And certainly doing for others works. I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold: service was joy. (Rabindranath Tagore)

How can we keep the jazz and the joy irrepressible?
Continually praying thanks for the joy of which we are made, the joy that is in us and of us, not only keeps the joy in our minds. It also keeps the fullness of joy real for us. I keep envisaging a tee shirt with the phrase: I am joyful, by God!

Ernest Holmes, founder of Science of Mind, said: Joy has come to live with me. How can I be sad? I do so love Thy presence, which is joy within me.

And following service Sunday, beautiful Belinda Lightheart handed me this beautiful quote from Teilhard de Chardin:

Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.

Joy to you!

Posted on May 21, 2012 at 9:11 pm by Tim · Permalink
In: Happiness, Joy, Prayer · Tagged with: , ,