July 2

Beloved of Good Shepherd Parish,

Grace to you and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!

When Jesus said goodbye to his disciples he said this, It’s all for joy. Everything I’ve said and done has been so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

Joy doesn’t mean that everything is going your way, the weather is always sunny but not too hot, and your children always behave. The gift of joy arrives when you discover that no matter the exterior circumstances you are rooted and grounded in love which as Jim Finley says “protects you from nothing even as it unexplainably sustains you in all things.” To be joyful is to be grounded in the love of Jesus which carries you along on the very wings of God’s grace no matter what’s happening in your life. So, joy doesn’t mean you’re always smiling, laughing, and feeling carefree. Rather joy is the deep and abiding sense that everything’s okay and somehow strangely more than okay even when you’re in the valley of misfortune and heartache because God’s got you no matter what.

The only place you ever are is in the arms of God. When you realize that fully, accept it, and breathe it in, then you are standing on the threshold of joy.

You don’t need things to go well to be joyful, that’s just good old fashioned co-dependency.  To be joyful you only need to remember that love has a hold of you through thick and thin. 

Remember this always - God loves you, and I love you too!

Love is all,

Hendree+