As I sit this morning, in extended prayer and meditation time, I hold each of you close. I know for each one a deep sense of Peace that cannot be disturbed by anything happening in the outer world. I know that Radiant Health and Wholeness permeates every aspect of your life, and that absolute Joy is the Truth of your being.
Several times in the past week (twice yesterday), I have asked someone how they are doing, and the reply was something like this: “I’m doing pretty well…I guess it’s not really okay to say that I’m doing great right now…” My response: “It is absolutely beyond okay to say that you are doing great…that life is good, and you are feeling Joyful and Content.” I think that right now, with all of the discord happening in the world, and in our country, we somehow get the message that we shouldn’t feel Joy, that we don’t have the right to feel good. We don’t want to be perceived as lacking compassion and empathy for those who are suffering. Please hear what I am saying…if those of us who are healthy and happy, and are capable of sharing our Peace and our Joy with the world are not sharing those qualities with our world, who will? I am not suggesting that we should disregard another’s suffering, or that we should gloat about our happy lives. But I believe that by honestly sharing a simple statement like, “I am healthy, I have all that I need…Life in my world is really good right now,” we give others permission to look for the blessings in their own lives. At times like these, it is so easy to forget that Joy is our birthright, and that is available to us in every moment that we look for it.
Our Community’s book club is reading The Book of Joy, and we had some amazing conversation this week about the difference between happiness and Joy. Of course, there are many opinions about how these two feelings or experiences differ…even between the two main characters in the book – His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. As I listened, I made some notes for myself. It feels like today is a good day to share my thoughts about Joy.
New Thought and Ancient Wisdom teachings point to Joy as a quality of God, as an inherent part of who we are, an aspect of being that is ever-available to us by Divine Birthright. I agree with this definition. I would define happiness as an emotional response or reaction that results from sense pleasure, or from conditions and people behaving according to our desires and expectations. In other words, things that feel good make us happy. In the book, the Archbishop says it this way: “Joy is much bigger than happiness. While happiness is often seen as being dependent on external circumstances, joy is not.” Both he and the Dalai Lama believe that it is “really possible to be joyful even in the face of our daily troubles.” The way I see it, if the Dalai Lama can live a life grounded in Joy after over 50 years in exile from his homeland, having seen and experienced the violence that drove his people out, then certainly I can find my way to Joy.
So, what is Joy? And how is it different than happiness? Or is it? As I consider this question, it seems to me that I grew up believing they were one and the same. I no longer feel that this is true. As I said, I believe that happiness is an emotional response or reaction. It happens to us when life is going the way we want it to go. Joy, on the other hand, is inherent to who we are. It is always present, but not always obvious. When we are happy, then Joy is also present on the surface of our awareness. When we are not happy, it takes our conscious attention and intention to find the Joy. In other words, being Joyful is a choice that we can make. It happens through us, by our choice to be content or at peace, accepting of what is, no matter what circumstances look like. Joy is letting go of any resistance to what is unfolding, and instead, turning our attention to the blessings in our lives. We become aware of our Joy when we consciously remember and connect with our Divine Nature…and when we recognize and feel grateful for the inherent blessings of Life in every moment.
There is another very powerful quote from The Book of Joy that I would like to share. Once again, it is the Archbishop speaking. “Discovering more joy does not, I’m sorry to say, save us from the inevitability of hardship or heartbreak. In fact, we may cry more easily, but we will laugh more easily, too. Perhaps we are just more alive. Yet as we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreak without being broken.” I encourage you to sit with the quote for a few moments. Feel the depth of what finding more Joy, choosing more Joy, can bring into your experience.
In closing, let’s do a quick recap. From my perspective, happiness is an emotional state that happens to us when things are going our way. Joy is a spiritual quality that is inherent to our being. It is always present. The experience of Joy happens through us when we choose to give it our attention. Gratitude…looking for the blessings in our lives…is one great way to connect with our Joy. When we choose Joy, happiness can bubble up of its own accord. Being Joyful makes room for happiness to become our more consistent emotional state. And of course, I would be remiss in my duty if I didn’t remind you that doing consistent Spiritual Practices is a sure way to increase your Joy and experience a more lasting happiness. When we spend time grounded in the All-That-It, and communing with our Highest Wisdom, we discover a Contentment that will carry us through the challenges of daily life.
It’s okay to be happy…to experience Joy, Peace, and Contentment…in times like these. In fact, it is more important than ever in times like these to actively, consciously Practice Joy, so that we maintain perspective…there is always inherent Good present…no exceptions.
Know that today and always, I am here to support you.
Know that today and always, the Christ Light shines within you.
May we be well…know our unity…and thrive! And…
May we know the Absolutely miraculous nature of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day!
