Joy Is Not A Fluke
In dark times, I’ve been afraid that joy is the exception and that meaninglessness is the rule, but joy is not a fluke. It’s what’s coming.
Imagine if the stars were pinpricks in the solid dome of the dark sky, through which humanity glimpses only sparks of the Great Light beyond. Hold that image and let me explain:
In a broken world, I get used to being disappointed. I build up for celebrations; the bright points last for only a moment, and the post-event let-down is real. It feels like the persistent reality, between bright points, is meaningless dullness, struggle, and suffering.
In dark times I’ve been afraid that joy is the exception and that meaninglessness is the rule, but joy is not a fluke. In fact, joy is the background reality that pierces the darkness and dazzles our eyes, even when we just glimpse it.
My very disappointment tells me that I was born to expect something else. I was created for human connection without complications, for open communication with God, for a physical life free of shame and suffering. I was created to enjoy my meaningful life. We all were!
Hold on to those moments when everything is ok, when God is easy to talk to, when you enjoy your physical life, because THAT’S what’s real. Turning my attention to the brightness over and over, I slowly realize that it actually feels more real. I feel more like myself, more connected to my surroundings, more hopeful about my future, in moments of joy. It’s not a fluke. It’s a glimpse.
“A foretaste of the Feast to Come,” some Christians call it. The darkness between is just an interruption that obscures the big picture. And we have to live under that solid dome for a while. In the meantime, we’re here for each other. We mark moments of joy - big and little. We remind each other of the goodness, truth and beauty we’ve experienced.
Maybe we can look up at the stars and imagine, if they are just pinpricks, how glorious the Life and Light beyond must be! Our real Home is in the New Creation, after this broken world is remade, when we live as we were supposed to: in uncomplicated relationship to people, face to face with Jesus, enjoying our physical existence, moving as he says from glory to glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18) The way it was supposed to be. No darkness, just Real Life.
Joy is not a fluke. It’s what’s coming.
"Not Home Yet" by Brandon & Liv Booth
Now is a great time to grab a copy of Brandon and Liv’s book! Written for every weary heart in search of a home. For every person who longs to find an oasis in this desert and to share it with friends.
This book is for every anxious, tired, and lonely person searching for a deep and abiding connection with the one true source of all things, Jesus. And it's for every person who, once that connection is established, wants to create oases for others and help them connect with Jesus more intimately.
You can also download the audio version read by Brandon and Liv themselves!
Provisions for the Road
Free Worksheet - The Question I Wake Up Asking
When you first open your eyes, do you notice a common theme already going through your head? It’s not profound, maybe, but it can reveal a more powerful question underneath. Only one human can be enough to handle these questions. We can bring our broken selves to Jesus.
Download this free worksheet created by Liv!
Food for Thought
Things the team found interesting this week, no endorsement implied.
Is the Smartphone Theory of Everything Wrong? A Comprehensive Investigation
By Derek Thompson on Substack
Are smartphones responsible for making us distracted, depressed, and polarized? If you prefer careful research and thought over knee-jerk responses then this is the article for you.
How to Make Anxiety Your Friend
By David H. Rosmarin at TEDx
When anxiety rears its head, we often just want it to go away. Clinical psychologist David H. Rosmarin asks us to consider instead the positive role anxiety can play in our lives, sharing four practical steps to transform it from your enemy into your ally. “There is nothing more worthwhile than taking our anxiety and turning it into love.”
How Bach Draws Us into the Heart of the Divine Drama
By N.T. Wright at Seen & Unseen
“John’s text reveals, and Bach’s music highlights, two visions of kingdom. Under Caesar’s rule, truth is a function of power, generating kingdom by violence. We today know too much about that. Under God’s rule, truth is a function of creation and new creation, generating kingdom by redeeming love.”
