Joy
Listen for Echoes of Good News
Introduction
In this third Christmas-themed installment of The Adventure of Reflection, I invite you to ponder joy. Different than happiness, joy is a deeper experience of the heart. Joy is the humming of the heart from the sound of good news. Listen with me for echoes of good news; listen for joy.
A Minute of Motivation
God’s Boomerang
What goes around, comes around. What you send out in life is what will come back to you.
Another way of saying this is, “You reap what you sow.” If you plant kindness, you will reap kindness. If you plant hostility, you will reap hostility. If you plant weeds, you will get weeds. If you plant a tree, you will have shade – even if you plant a tree for someone else.
Kindness [and joy] is like perfume – you can’t spread it around without getting a little on yourself.
Give to others what you would like to receive. The principle of “what goes around, comes around” has been called “God’s Boomerang.” It can be as simple as smiling at someone and receiving a smile in return. Kind words to others will generate kind words in return. Critical or hostile words provoke the return of the same.
If you’re not getting what you like from life, try giving away what you will ultimately get back.
Note. The excerpts for A Minute of Motivation are drawn from writings preserved on dot-matrix printer paper, all written 30 years ago. I had no excerpt about joy, so I chose this one to include because it has an “echo” quality to it, a theme for my contemplation about joy.
Enjoy Life More
Good News Echoes
I love hearing good news. My heart, like a bell, resonates with a deep response of wellness, when receiving good news. Remembering good news can strike my heart, bringing a reverberation of joy again and again. This is especially true when that news is about the gift of a person.
I can remember powerful echoes of good news when I learned I was pregnant with each of our children. Their safe arrival, holding them for the first time, still echoes in my heart. News of my children getting married, bringing another person into our family, also causes my heart to echo with joy. And, the most amazing echoes of joy are the ones brought by my grandchildren.
There are sad echoes in my heart, too, and sometimes I listen to them again. I want my heart to be able to respond, whether in joy or sadness. Joy comes from the reverberation of good news. Joy is an echo in the heart, a deep knowing, of something wonderful. To enjoy life more, to have more joy, think about good news.
Faith Corner
The angel said to the shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy for all people.” Luke 2: 10
Christmas is an echo of good news from two-thousand years ago. That echo has resonated through multiple generations and around the planet across many nations. The echo of Christmas shows no signs of weakening. Even “rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy” of this good news.
How can good news from so long ago be still echoing today? The good news proclaimed by the angel is that a Savior had been born. That baby, named Jesus, would also be called “Immanuel” which means “God with us.” His arrival brought God’s presence to the world of mere mortals.
God’s presence is where fullness of joy can be found (see Psalm 16:11). Jesus’ arrival brought “great joy” because people could enter into God’s perfect presence through knowing Jesus. The echo of this good news continues to bring joy because it draws the heart into the pure, holy, and restorative presence of God.
Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Dear Lord, thank You for the good news of great joy announced to the shepherds at the first Christmas. Help me listen with my heart to the echoes of that good news. May my life, like the rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy of Immanuel, God with us. Amen.
Poetry Pause
Nature’s Joyful Songs
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the morning song.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the morning song.
Birds add morning voices to the angels’ praise!
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the morning song.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the water’s song.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the water’s song.
Singing as it travels, joyful sounds of praise!
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the water’s song.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the flower’s song.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the flower’s song.
Songs of missing Eden, blooming is their praise!
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the flower’s song.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the forest song.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the forest song.
Strong and deeply rooted, raising towers of praise!
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord of the forest song.
By Cindy MacGregor, May 2020.
Note. These verses are an excerpt from a longer set, given to me over several days in 2020. I had descended into an abyss of depression and this song (yes, there is music that goes with it) lifted me back into the light.
[This is an unprofessional recording of the poem being sung by yours truly in case you want to hear the melody.]
Old Mom to Young Mom
A Child is Good News
I read a plaque, years ago, that said, “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.” Yes, I agree with this statement, but a baby is so much more than that!
What is the best gift you can receive? Can you buy someone the best gift with money? I don’t think so. The best gift is a person. When I count my greatest blessings, people hold the top spots.
If you have been blessed with children to raise and to love, remind yourself to see them as gifts. There is so much joy in the way children process the world; don’t tread on their joy by forgetting to see your children as gifts. Each child is good news. Let your heart echo with joy at the good news of each child in your life.
Dear Dr. Mac
Hi Dr. Mac!
I just listened to your post about peace and, like so many times before, your writings come at the perfect time. I am currently trying to determine what day this week to let my cat pass away peacefully. At 19, she’s lived a long, happy life and has been a supportive companion since I was in graduate school. But, as you know, it’s so hard to say goodbye to them. So thank you for your message this week.
Signed, J.P.
Dear J.P.,
So awesome to hear from you! Thanks for being a faithful reader/listener! Peace can be elusive, especially at the holidays. I am sorry for your furry friend. I wrote about saying good-bye to one of our fur-friends in Gratitude in Grief, written a few months ago. You might find it helpful to re-read it. Sorry, there isn't an audio file attached as that was pre-voice-over availability at Substack. You can find that, and all my previous posts, at https://cindymacgregor.substack.com/archive .
Sending prayers for peace, drmac
If you would like to hear what I think about something, please send an email to: drcjmacgregor@outlook.com; I will respond via email or in this section of a future newsletter, or both. I hope to hear from you!