It’s week three of Advent and the anticipation continues to build as the light on the advent wreath gets brighter! This weeks candle represents Joy. You will see how the joy we talk about this week goes along with the peace we talked about last week, and the hope we talked about the week before.
If you’re new to Advent, it’s never too late to join in! If you want to catch up, click on the links below.
Joy:
There’s a different colored candle on the advent wreath, it represents joy; sometimes it’s called the shepherds candle. Go ahead and light the first three candles.
This week is set aside as a week to rejoice! But what does it mean to have joy?
Just like peace, joy goes well beyond just a feeling. Happiness comes and goes, but true joy will stay with you despite what’s going on around you. And just like true peace, this can only come from God, by trusting in Jesus as your savior.
The joy that we have in Christ cannot be taken from us. Sure we can throw it away, or deny it, but nothing in this world can take away the joy that has been given to us.
When we allow ourselves to have the peace God has given to us, there is sense of joy that comes with along it:
The rent may be going up but I have peace because I know who my God is, and what He has done. There’s joy there as well, a bit of excitement if you would, to see how God’s going to move in this situation. It’s contentment in all circumstances, not just the ones that make me happy.
Read: 1 Tim. 6:6-7, 1 Cor. 7:17, and Phil. 4:12-13.
You cannot have joy without being content with where God has you in life. However, you should not be content with your relationship with God, because we should always be striving to know Him more.
This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have have goals in our lives, or that we can’t want certain things to happen. But the question is: are you content to wait on Him, and His timing?
This can be especially hard when we are waiting on something God has promised us. Don’t be like Sarai ( Sarah), in Genesis, and try to make things happen in your own way ( Gen. 16:1-2), that will only lead to heart ache. Be content to give it to God and let Him be in control.
We have to put our hope in Christ, to have peace with God and from God, that gives us pure joy.
“When we allow ourselves to have the peace God has given to us, there is sense of joy that come with along it“
Picture the Shepherds
God met with some of the most unlikely people in all the lands to tell His good news to: that His son, the Messiah, was finally born! Can you imagine the pure joy they must of felt? (After being terrified by the angels of course).
Read Luke 2:8-20
Oh the joy that filled their hearts, to know how society looked down on them for being shepherds, but God still chose to tell them directly what He was doing. 1 2They must of had pure hearts despite how things looked from the outside.
The shepherds were content with were God had them in life: as smelly, sheep wranglers. And God showed Himself to them, so they wanted more. Not more of the things the world had to offer, but more of God. They needed to meet the Messiah, so off they went!
This shows us that God doesn’t care about the appearance on the outside, or what the world may think. He’s concerned with our hearts, and wants to give us new hearts that are transformed. Hearts that can be at ease in the midst of chaos and rejoice even when things don’t go our way.
Bringing Joy into our Homes
If you have been building on the anticipation we talked about in week one of Advent, there may a sense of joy already lingering in your home. But there a few ways you can add a little more.
It Starts With You
Ask yourself:
How is my relationship with God?
Have I allowed Him to give me His hope, peace, and joy, or is something getting in the way?
Am I content with were He has me in life?
Take some time to pray about these things and allow Him to take your burdens. Be honest with God, yes He knows how you feel, but He wants you to tell Him.
Be patient with yourself as God continues to shape you into His image, and allow Him to do so.
Bring Joy with Family and Friends
A simple way to bring joy into your home is by hosting a holiday party with no expectations, no gifts, just fellowship with the ones you love.
Get together and play games, watch movies or do a craft!
You can do this on a large scale and have a potluck or do it just for you and your household.
Last week I had a surprise Christmas party for my mom and I. She was already coming over, so I made cookies, tea, and put on some Christmas music to listen to while we made wreaths and swags from fresh pine branches. It didn’t cost me anything extra, just a little time and effort.
*If you want some more ideas for having a Fantastic Family Night at Home, Click Here!
It doesn’t have to be a lot
Creating a sense of joy in your home doesn’t have to be an extravagant thing. You can create small glimmers of joy for yourself, or your household by making ordinary things just a little bit more special:
- Drink your favorite tea out of a fancy tea cup.
- Set the table nicely for dinner, as if you were having guests.
- Go for a walk and sing Christmas carols, even if it’s just to yourself.
- Change meals up by making them themed.
- Make running errands fun by pretending your going on an adventure.
- Think outside the box and change up your daily routine.
- Play old records and have a dance party.
- Buy yourself flowers for your work area.
- Take time to set up a cozy space to read. Put on a fireplace, play some background music or noise, make hot cocoa, and curl up with fuzzy blanket.
- Find some free local events going on and enjoy them, even if you don’t have kids. We recently went to to few free museums and we had a great time!
True joy is not something we can create ourselves, but we can definitely bring joyfulness into our homes and lives. When trying to do this, think about how you would want to make a visit at your home a little special for guests, and then do a few of those things for yourself.
This is also a great way to reduce some of the stress that we can get around the holidays!
With just one more week and a few days until Christmas, I want to remind you, yet again, to slow down. It’s okay if you can’t get all of the decorating, shopping or baking done in time. Enjoy this season, and what it means. There are 12 days of Christmas, starting Christmas day, to do the rest of the things you didn’t get to do…
Go throughout this week and rejoice!
