Joy eclipses just feelings. Joy emanates out of something deep, a grace which covers all of anti-joy. Yes, all joy inhibiters are broken in the conscience, all doubts in the mind. Even death has no stinging dominance over the care free soul. Joy comes as a by-product of grace, which carries out the wonderful effects of unconditional love, removing all conditional “ifs, ands, or buts.” It comes from God, the ultimate source of all things. “And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music. “1Samuel 18:6 Joy came as the warriors defeated the enemy of the people. Indeed there was singing and dancing. So it is with our joy, released when all of our enemies…
Tag: <span>joy liberation</span>
“Openness involves a hunger for life. Our arms must reach out to the other, which requires a position of vulnerability. We are made for the dance of intimacy. They are invited in as guests and not as strangers.” “Opening the heart to face the complexity of living in this world requires waiting for truth to come to us. Change comes not from our will, but from God’s mercy. We must stretch out our arms to life but God moves when He will.” “The embrace is an accurate metaphor to encompass what is involved in walking the healing path to God. There are four elements to an embrace: opening the heart instead of cynically shutting down; waiting with anticipation rather than killing hope; encircling the other instead of standing alone; Letting go of the moment.” Dan B. Allender Ph. D. “Merry Christmas” is the word this year, everywhere we turn. Typically,…