The beating heart of the universe is holy joy. ~Martin Buber
Optimism
To be surprised by joy is something quite different from naive optimism. Optimism is the attitude that makes us believe that things will be better tomorrow.
An optimist says: “The war will be over, your wounds will be healed, the depression will go away, the epidemic will be stopped…all will be better soon.”
The optimist may be right or wrong, but, whether right or wrong, the optimist does not control the circumstances.
Joy
Joy does not come from positive predictions about the state of the world. It does not depend on the ups and downs of the circumstances of our lives.
Joy is based on the spiritual knowledge that, while the world in which we live is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world.
Jesus says it loudly and clearly: “In the world you will have troubles, but rejoice, I have overcome the world.”
Surprise
The surprise is not that, unexpectedly, things turn out better than expected.
No, the real surprise is that God’s light is more real than all the darkness, that God’s truth is more powerful than all human lies, that God’s love is stronger than death.
The world lies in the power of the Evil One. Indeed, the powers of darkness rule the world. We should not be surprised when we see human suffering and pain all around us.
But we should be surprised by joy every time we see that God, not the Evil One, has the last word.
Hope
By entering into the world and confronting the Evil One with the fullness of Divine Goodness, the way was opened for us to live in the world, no longer as victims, but as free men and women, guided, not by optimism, but by hope.
Henri J.M. Nouwen from Here and Now
Photo of Whiskytown Lake, CA
8 replies on “Sabbath Quiet: Joy Is The Great Surprise”
Yes… this is where I am living right now. In the tension between what my circumstances are, what I feel and what I KNOW to be true. Such a sweet reminder to keep my eyes, ears & heart open for the surprise of God’s presence in my life. Thank you!!
Ah, my dear friend, we must pray for each other to stay in that third place! I’m glad we are not alone on the journey.
There’s just nothing I don’t love about Nouwen! I took an entire course on Henri Nouwen during my degree. Delightful.
I think I took that same class and love his writing too!
I was surprised by JOY in worship yesterday – out of corner of my eye I saw Nancy JOY Hicks and ran over to hug her and we ended up hugging and jumping around singing at top of our lungs – beyond special – still smiling! 😉 (also have loved life experience and wisdom of Henri Nouwen over the years-thanks for sharing!!!!!)
Picturing that makes me smile. Thanks Joyce!
Your words and the picture of Whiskeytown Lake gave me a much needed and appreciated quiet moment to rest and remember Whose arms enfold and hold me. Thank you!
I’m forwarding your site to some friends. I know they’ll thank you too!
Teddi, so great to see you here! Thank you for your words and for your forwarding!