How to Find Joy in a Weary World
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Listen to the audio on our Podcast | Read time 6-minutes
The holidays can be a hard season for many, and this year we’ve all been given a glimpse into this mixed bag of joy and grief, so today we’re going to focus on how to find joy in a weary world. It may seem counterproductive to talk about grief and sorrow during a series called “Grow Your Faith”, but I think you’ll come to see just how these experiences can be a catalyst for a deeper faith.
A global pandemic sure has a way of putting things into perspective. We quickly came to the realization of the necessities vs. the niceties of life when it came to a screeching halt in March. And as the months have drug on, we’ve come to learn the true colors and priorities of our neighbors.
No matter what side you stand on any of the number of situations that have risen to the surface in 2020, I think it is safe to say that we’re all a bit worn down and weary.
Joy to the World?
We’ve watched our calendars fill with one canceled event after another. We’ve gone from watching the news religiously to avoiding it like the… well, COVID. We’ve hoarded toilet paper and Clorox wipes. We’ve participated in celebratory parades instead of parties. And most of us have surpassed the quarantine 15 and we’re inching towards the twenty-twenty 20.
In addition to the grief felt in watching the number of deaths climb higher and higher, we’ve grieved the lives we used to know. We’ve grieved all of the missed opportunities and the comfort we used to have in one another’s presence.
And yet, here we are in a season that comes with its own soundtrack of fa la la la las and harkens us to be joyful and triumphant. The greeting we extend to one another even calls us to be merry, but how?
How do you find joy in a weary world?
The Weary World Rejoices
This past week I returned to remote work through the remainder of the year. The thought that I could work freely in the comfort of my home, in the standard quarantine attire of business on top, pajama pants on the bottom, and be free of wearing a mask for 8 hours a day was thrilling. But the thought of not seeing my co-workers, nor having much personal interaction with anyone for another month and a half, well… the weariness has won!
But during this past week at home, I’ve been listening to Christmas music.
My Spotify playlist includes some of the classics from Bing Crosby and Andy Williams, but it also includes For King and Country, and a local favorite, B.E. Taylor.
No matter the song or the performer, I’ve noticed that every Christmas song or hymn hits a little differently this year.
Long lay the world in
sin and error pining
‘Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
O HOLY
NIGHT
Come, thou long-
expected Jesus
Born to set thy
people free
From our fears and
sins release us
Let us find our
rest in thee
COME THOU LONG EXPECTED JESUS
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine
advent here
Disperse the gloomy
clouds of night
And death’s dark
shadows put to flight
O COME, O COME
EMMANUEL
So again I ask, how do you find joy in a weary world?
How to Find Joy in a Weary World
Celebrating Advent has been such a gift. Spending intentional time connecting with God each day has helped me to lay down some of the heavy load that has weighed me down all of these long months.
And spending time daily in the Gospel of Luke as I continue Counting Up to Christmas has been a peace-filled way to realign my weary soul, to truly remember what this season is all about.
It is not a season of manufactured joy.
Christmastime is a season of joy because of the gift we’ve received in Jesus.
Does it take some extra effort this year to focus our energies towards celebrating? Absolutely!
It is difficult to hold the grief of another distanced holiday in one hand and the true, heart-lifting, and soul-warming joy that we are privileged to experience in remembering what Christ’s coming means in the other.
But it is possible to hold both of these feelings at the same time.
How, you ask?
While happiness is circumstantial, joy is an attitude that carries no burden or expectation.
Happiness is fleeting. Joy is steadfast.
The Psalms remind us:
Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning.
psalm 30:5, Nlt
Though the weeping may end, the grief will remain, but accompanied by joy.
We can hold the two together.
Just take a look at the opening lyrics of one of my favorite Christmas songs:
The world waits for a miracle
The heart longs for a little bit of hope
O come, O come, Emmanuel
A child prays for peace on Earth
And she’s calling out from a sea of hurt
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And can you hear the angels singing
Glory to the light of the world
Glory the light of the world is here
LIGHT OF THE WORLD | LAUREN DAIGLE
The Light of the World, is our Emmanuel — God with us.
He accompanies us in our grief, and in the morning He brings joy.
Because Jesus is the joy in a weary world.
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