Full of Joy

Monday, March 11                                           Psalm 126

Ann Neely                                                                           

Many years ago, I was supervising American student teachers in Cambridge, England. One morning, while waiting for the start of the school day, I was sitting in the teachers’ lounge going over some notes. I greeted one teacher who came in for her cup of tea by asking how she was. “Oh, full of joy!” was her response. Now that was not the reply I had expected, nor one I had heard in any teachers’ lounge before!

Perhaps that teacher knew that the Lord had done great things for her and she rejoiced. Perhaps, just being with children every day gave her reason to be joyful. She probably knew that being around adults all day might be filled with far less positive interactions.   Ann Weems’ poem in Kneeling in Jerusalem (1992) is one of my favorites:

Churchgoers

The man sat down and said,

“The pew is too hard!”

The woman sat down and said,

“This pew is too soft!”

The child sat down and said,

“This pew is just right!”

Some get in the habit of denigrating

When it’s just as easy

To get in the habit of celebrating.

            So how do we work on being joyful adults, particularly during Lent? Another poem by Weems in the same collection might be quite instructive:

Winding Down

We run around the world and church

Like wound-up toys,

Looking for a way to get to Easter

Without reading the instructions.

When we wind down,

We lie on the floor

Of our faces,

Unable to move.

Perhaps, in the still and the silence,

God will give us the courage

To see our souls

And give us the chance

Once more

To choose Life:

Faith, rather than frenzy.

Prayer:  God of Joy, Help us wind down enough to choose life and faith, and be in gratitude of the fortunes you have bestowed.

Daily Challenge:  Be still and silent for a bit of time; try to see my soul.