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A few years ago I told some friends that I was going to get my 'Masters Degree in Joy.' What I discovered was that I was redirected to a 'PhD in Trust.'
I'm still studying.
Let me explain.
My pursuit for more joy was, quite frankly, born out of fatigue, disappointment, and a growing cynicism that left me wondering if life was one big game of hide and seek where I rarely located levity, laughter, and love. I was on the look-out for joy and it seemed all it wanted to do was hunker down out of sight.
But, over the years, I'm discovering that joy is the bi-product of trust. Joy doesn't come first.
It's the fruit.
The contemplative life is a life of trust... a surrender into that which is unseen - a longing for Reality that often remains hidden, a fidelity to a way of seeing the present for what it is, a hope for Ground that holds us.
Surrender. Longing. Fidelity. Hope ... not easy, but, the birthplace of Joy.
When I'm craving joy,
I know I'm being invited into the cave of trust.
It's a lesson I am learning every day.
SoulPlay is the practice of strengthening our muscles of surrender and placing fidelity and hope in our longings.
And... it has led to great joy in myself and others.
When we slow down and wake up, we can love well...and this really is 'joy to (and for) the world'.
If you’re anticipating this Christmas will be peppered with delight, stifled with despair, or likely a bit of both, I hope you will be able to catch a glimpse of the Ground that holds us. Perhaps, you will, like me, practice trusting and find joy on the other side. May your holiday be meaningful. -Christa
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