“Be Joyful Always”

I am called to be joyful always.

I’m thankful this biblical imperative does not call me to ‘be happy always.’

I am thankful that Courage isn’t listed as one of the fruits of the spirit, that I can trust the Spirit’s fruit in my life when I feel little to no bravery.

Whether we are blindsided by a sudden crisis or have been running from one for a long time, we only have three choices:

1. Ignore it and hope it will go away.  (It won’t.)
2. Try and live with it.  (But you can’t, not forever.)
3. Look for the gift without fear and benefit from it.

When we do, we emerge on the other side, surprised by joy.

I wonder where and when ‘the other side’ is.

“Be joyful, because it is humanly possible.”

~ Wendell Berry, poet