Carry Joy into the New Year with God

Happy New Year!  A new year…how do you look at it?

Are the calendar pages empty but for marking birthdays, celebrations, doctor’s appointments, or a joyous due date for a child or grandchild?

I think of January as a beautiful field of white snow, untouched, all ready to journey in it.

For Christmas this year, a dear friend gave me a book, Between Heaven and Mirth, by James Martin. The author, a Jesuit priest, shares how joy, humor, and laughter are at the heart of our spiritual life.

He points out how religions have traditionally been considered serious and to laugh, maybe even blasphemous. Yet through his many examples, he demonstrates how if we look at the stories in the bible with an understanding of its ancient audience, we will see there is much humor, wit, and joy. He helped me understand the scriptures in a new light. 

He tells us because we have heard these stories so many times, we may not hear how it was intended.

He points out the many scenes where Jesus dines with sinners, prostitutes, and tax collectors. Can we imagine being at Jesus’ table? He was a great storyteller. When you’ve had people over for dinner, aren’t the ones we remember most when we’ve laughed?

Martin shares, “Joy, humor, and laughter show one’s faith in God… Joy reveals faith… Joy draws others to God. Why would anyone want to join a group of miserable people?”

What a wonderful inspiration for the new year.  Have you ever laughed with God? A fellow certified lay speaker once gave a sermon that started with her showing a picture of Mighty Mouse and playing his theme song. Can you just hear that? She had everyone laughing as she explained how it helped her to have the courage to take a test for her nursing degree. Storytelling and humor are most effective in remembering a message. Didn’t Jesus do the same in his parables?

Martin fills us with interesting facts, such as Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, written in 50 A.D., before even the gospels.  His audience was mostly slaves living under Rome’s rule, and those who were free “may have been poor, illiterate, and unable to obtain …even the basic necessities of life.”  Yet Paul tells the Thessalonians to:

Martin states that Paul was encouraging these people even though they suffered. “Sadness is an appropriate and natural response to suffering…But even knowing that God accompanies us can lead us to a deep-down joy that can carry us through difficult and sometimes unbearable times.”

Reading this caused me to reflect on one of my most painful memories when my mom passed unexpectedly. There is so much to do for a funeral. I asked my husband and stepdaughter if they could run some errands, and when they returned, they were laughing…I cocked my eyebrow at Roger, like, what could be so funny? And they both looked at each other, afraid possibly of how I would take it.

“Well, Kris just called to see how you were doing.” Roger shyly looked at me.

Kris is my stepson and couldn’t come to the funeral.

My stepdaughter Ashley continued, “I told him how you were. And he replied, ‘What? Her face will see her through?”’

“No, her faith will see her through.”

I laughed so hard…it was a welcome release, and it warmed my heart that my family knew my beliefs.

Wherever you are in starting this new year, let us carry joy in our hearts, being a reflection of what God wants us to be. In doing so, our relationship deepens with our Lord and our joy attracts people to Him.

Blessings to you in finding joy in the everyday.