21 Gifts of AdventSample

 The Gift of Joy

Five years ago, my parents' health was declining. My siblings and I had to make some tough decisions regarding their care in December of that year. Those days were filled with lots of tears and talks as we all armed ourselves with wisdom in each decision. It was enough to suck the joy right out of this girl.

But the time had come for me to pack for a long awaited mission trip to Africa. I questioned, “How can I go and spread Christmas joy to children, when I am in the middle of a joyless situation with my family?” 

Once on the plane, there was some joy in leaving the stress behind, at least for a while. It was a relief to think about something other than difficult decisions or concerns for another medical issue. By the time our team landed on the ground, I left all my worries behind.

The children in the small village saw our team coming and immediately ran to us. Their joy was indescribable! The team divided up into different stations for the day-long party. When I was assigned to the “dance and cake” station, I jumped for joy with excitement. Cake is a luxury for most African families who struggle to just put one meal on the table. And it just so happened that the Lord placed me in the station that offered great joy. Who doesn’t love cake and dancing?! 

I watched the children’s faces as their joy increased. I watched the moms smile and laugh as they watched. I experienced a greater joy later in the day from a successful party. I saw kindness-fueled joy in the community. It was remarkable because joy is a lost emotion that hides behind poverty. I saw the Lord’s strength as His joy sustained our team through several long exhausting days. Upon returning home, I latched onto a new, energized joy for my parents' situation too. 

Advent reflection: Joy increased in my heart because Jesus made me see a different perspective of life. The Christmas party God threw in Africa taught me that joy is an inside job. You can experience Christmas joy any time of the year because joy isn’t found in your circumstances; it is found in Jesus! And it’s second to God’s perfect love!