Greetings!

I trust you had a (reasonably) good week and are keeping safe and well. Spikes in the number of Covid-19 cases are being reported again, here in Jamaica. This affliction is not only in relation to the Corona virus but also the viral hard headedness that no vaccine but self-discipline can stave off let alone cure. The excessive gatherings, flouting of required distancing protocols continue, with some of us crying… “How long O Lord?” How long will our people continue to wallow in stubborn ignorance, placing their own and others’ lives in jeopardy, for the very temporary pleasure of wainin an dainin aka iit a fuud?  But, more on that anon. Sigh!

If you are familiar with the liturgical calendar, you will know that we have just begun the third week of Advent, the week in which the faithful are encouraged to contemplate the meaning of and so internalize joy! This little word is very difficult to define and without due care, one can assume a meaning that is either hollow or totally missing the mark. The Merriam Webster dictionary renders it “the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires…” I get that! There is however, an experiential component rooted in this sometimes elusive virtue, that transcends the physical and without which, it is nigh unto impossible to understand let alone embody it.

When one is connected to the Author of life Divine, in a relationship that permeates all aspects of living, such a connection is an initiator of joy. In other words, knowing that one is deeply loved and in that knowing, joy is kindled, coming to full flame, as the relationship is nurtured…stoked by mindful pauses, spent, in acknowledging the presence and power of Immanuel…God with us!  This also means that joy does not depend upon external sources for its flowering, but on us who experience it, doing our part (within that covenant relationship); to remain in close touch with the One who never leaves. I have always contended therefore, contrary to the popular saying, that no one can steal our joy, we choose, by omission or commission, to let it go.  

On my way home from work last Tuesday, driving slower than usual (yes…miracles still happen), I observed a street vendor as he tried to peddle his ware to would be customers. There was an urgency about his movements coupled with a look of determined desperation, that made me realize he was not merely (or without conscience) getting into everyone’s face, but was doing the best…all that he could, to allow for the tattered ends of his and more than likely other family members’ livelihood, to meet in a way that could not be considered unlawful. Upon seeing, I experienced an admixture of compassion and gratitude springing up within me, with the liquid evidence thereof, pooling in my eyes as I drove. Compassion for the vendor came out in an audible whisper of “Lord, have mercy upon him”, trusting that He would do so. I experienced indescribable gratitude however, realizing how blessed I am: that the little I had was indeed much, since I did not have to be on the street or anywhere else for that matter, coercing another’s patronage for my survival. I heard myself thanking God aloud for the many resources, especially of the human variety, that contribute even without my asking, to my continued welfare and wellbeing. I knew a contented settledness within me that I can only describe as joy.

You see, in observing the vendor, trying to make a hustle, I could not help acknowledging the complex nature of life’s myriad challenges, some for which there will be no clear if any answer, on this side of eternity. Jointly with those thoughts though was deep, deep gratitude, for the many ways in which God turns up, allowing me the privilege and blessing of not having to worry from one day to the next, where I will sleep, or whether I will have enough to physically sustain me. I realized that in the coming festive season, little can be much when God and gratitude are involved!  Truth be told, because I have been pre-occupied with pondering my various lacks, expressing gratitude for my (many) blessings had experienced a temporary hiatus. I’m not sure how the vendor in the distance fared that evening but seeing him, brought home with quiet intensity, the fact that although my plans to be with family this Christmas have been dashed and there will be no engaging the muchness and manyness usually associated with this time, I will and have already begun to experience joy, amidst the prevailing sadness, pain and uncertainty. I will know like the apostle Paul, what it is to be content in whatever state and wherever I am cf. Philippians 4: 11 – 13; and I will be thankful!  

I hope you will, by divine grace, make this a joy-filled week.

Grace+