Tis the season of peace and joy...and shopping, eating, cooking, entertaining and travelling. Why is it that the holidays are filled with stress for so many people? We all know that stress is terrible for our physical, emotional and spiritual health, yet we immerse ourselves in it.
Our culture gives us the message that a perfectly cooked meal served on a perfectly decorated table with perfectly perfect family will lead to happiness. Perhaps it will, momentarily. But that feeling fades as soon as the bread burns or the family descends into a heated political discussion. I have to remind myself that this is not the season of happiness anyway. It is the season of joy. And that is a whole different ballgame.
Joy, not happiness is an essential component of a healthy life. As Adela Rogers St. John says, "Joy seems to me a step beyond happiness-happiness is a sort of state you can live in sometimes, when you're lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love."
May your Christmas, and every day before and after, be filled with joy!
