Micro Joys
–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath, you begin to clear your mind.-
- Breathe in: Little
- Breathe out: Joys
-Continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
Psalm 126
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
Our joys this year seem to be smaller than in years past. So much is happening that finding joy in the midst has become hard. Even those things that are great joys, like births, weddings, celebrations, etc., seem not to be as big as they used to. This is why I have begun to look for the little joys in my life. Those joys I do not always recognize.
As I walked on the beach last week, the sun was out, and the sand was smooth. I looked down, and saw what looked like sparkles. I began to think about these sparkles, and realized they are always there. Even when I do not see them, because the sun is not out. The only reason I could see them, at that moment, was because the sun shone and was reflected back to me by small particles that are in the sand. I began to think of the sparkles as points of joy. I came to realize two things about joy in my life.
There are sparks of joy throughout my life. Just as the sparkles in the sand though small were scattered all over the beach. Joy is everywhere, and at times it becomes common place. I the importance of recognizing the joy that is all around me.
The other thing I realized is that joy is always in my life. Just like the sparkles in the sand that are there even when the sun is not shining. Joy is in my life even when I do not see it. Micro joys are popping up all around me. They are still there even on the dark days.
- What joys are in your life?
- What are the micro joys?
-Please take a moment.-
-Take some deep breaths.-
- Breathe in: Little
- Breathe out: Joys
Loving God, thank you for all of the joy in my life. Help me to be more open to seeing the micro joys. Help me to remember that joy is all around me. Thank you God for all of the joy in my life. Amen