Cultivating Delight & Refining Joy

There is always this question going around across the world: How can we be joyful in this situation? A situation of stress, trauma, nothingness. And from reflection, I can ask, “How can we not be joyous, especially in a moment like this?” Through God, we can develop the ability to see both the magnificent and the beautiful as well as the bad and ugly. We as humans demonstrate kindness and mercy in part because it is a joyous trait to recognize that we are all experiencing some form of misery. The labor that will enable me to live the life I desire will be done with delight because of the growth that comes from the change. The fact that joy may exist even in the face of adversity is clear for me because having joy doesn’t equate with having easiness.

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 

James 1:2-3 (CSB)

My origins of being attuned to delights and unabashed gratitudes come from the fact that I always appreciated the small things. I feel like I’ve loved the smell and feel of new books, rain, the ocean by my old home, trees, citrus, fresh paint, gasoline, everyday things that surrounded me that have had a grasp on my being. I was obsessed with reading and learning when I was younger. Reading about fantasy lands, etc – books that got my imagination going and taught me lots of interesting words. I loved Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl because of the silly absurdness of their stories, and learning simple words like “marvelous” and “remarkable”. Learning about astronomy, evolution of the earth and mankind, dinosaurs, all intrigued me.

I was also very spacey and dreamy. When alone, I was enamored in doing my own thing, whether that was reading, writing, making up stories for my Barbie dolls. At school I was quite outgoing and silly. I was never a scholar – despite my love for learning but somehow decided when I was like in second grade that learning in the school’s structured system sucked. And I was terrible at keeping track of homework, organizing my time, and remembering test and quiz dates.

As I got older and began moving around a lot, around middle school age when I was more immersed in the stresses and pain of the world, I became increasingly introverted as I slowly started to feel alienated and different from my classmates. People often treated me as weird, and I just retreated into my own world that I built for myself since I was little for more and more time. I became distant, reserved, and became disinterested in books and learning for quite some time. I was losing my “childlike” joy.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a small child and had him stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me.

Matthew 18:1-5 (CSB)

The Bible never, at least not explicitly, encourages us to have “childlike” faith. According to Jesus, in order to enter the kingdom of God, we must “become as small children,” and whoever occupies the lowest place is regarded as the greatest in Heaven.

This passage of Matthew does not mention faith, yet we know that a person enters Heaven via humility and faith in the Son of God. A “childlike faith” might be appropriately used to describe a true, unassuming faith.

A child accepts a gift with transparency, openness, and unrestrained enthusiasm. We should have a childlike confidence in God, believing what He says and having faith that He will provide good things to those who ask.

How could we possibly be joyful in a moment of unhappiness? Well, I believe that joy is the recognition that we are all going to die, and that every moment is a chance to make a connection with someone.

Joy and death are related because they both involve the possibility of tenderness between humans. The Book of Delights helped me put into words how I felt joy: it was when my sense of separation from other people vanished and everything was radiant. Because it is, in a sense, leveling and makes the life I want feasible, it appears to me that joy is achievable even in the middle of difficulties.

In itself, the term “delight” means both “of light” and “without light.” I’m not sure how to tell the difference between delight and pleasure, but I feel like this daily practice of delight is similar to being grateful.

I am definitely not consistent everyday, but I was motivated to write brief, private journal entries about something that made me happy everyday for a year a few weeks ago. In addition to being aware of when negative emotions come and repeating previous ideas and sensations, the study of delight made delight more apparent. However, I wasn’t sure how to make something delicious occur every day.

There was always some sort of revelation to be found when attempting to pinpoint the thoughts that came before the emergence of a negative emotion and how they related to scripture and the inner spirit connection. It’s like to putting puzzle pieces together.

For example, anxiety. The word “should” entered my inner dialogue whenever I felt any kind of tension. I’m talking about “should of” and “should have.” This makes me realize that anticipating particular kinds of outcomes is what causes anxiety. Therefore, I am less inclined to think in this manner if I am aware of how ridiculous this way of thinking is. It’s possible that the precursor will eventually cease to exist after its fullness has been sketched out. Even if I experience some anxiety, it won’t be a problem because I’ll learn how to deal with it once it does come about.

Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:6 (CSB)

The Bible is full of inspiring verses that can support us in daily life. The practice of mindfulness enables you to become aware of the current moment and less complacent about what is going on around you. It also teaches you to accept everything that has happened and grow compassionate toward others.

The degree of mindfulness varies. This does not imply complete consciousness, but rather a kind of background mindfulness. Accepting that there won’t always be good things in life, we should attempt not to reject misfortunes. It turns out that if you attempt to regulate a stressful circumstance, your attempt (desire/aversion) will only increase the tension by acting as a feedback loop. It is important that we recognize and apply biblical practice using mindfulness Bible verses to our daily lives, rather than merely taking the time to be fully present.

Through writing these and gaining more inside perspective on myself, it occurred to me how often I am delighted by little things, such as silly reciprocated hand gestures like the little “army sargeant sign off”. I realized how much I love these little interactions, which are called “public physical interactions”. We have the power to make somebody’s day with our words and small gestures. It’s amazing to watch the transformation take place when you make somebody’s day.

Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Gratitude. It’s a little thing, yet it has the power to significantly alter both your life and the lives of others. Everyday life is filled with a lot of unfortunate events, such as family disputes, social problems, money worries, and health issues. But taking stock of all your blessings can help you put those difficulties in perspective. And the Bible is the best place to look for inspiration for appreciation.

I’ve been interested in starting to grow plants and fruits consistently in the near future. I’ve tried before when I was younger and planted what I believe to be a corn plant outside of my house. About a year or two when I moved out, I came back to the apartment complex and decided to take a peak of how it looked. No corn was there, but there was some sort of green growth. I wasn’t sure if that was my doing, but I like to assume it was. And I’ve tried to be a plant mom a few times, but I wasn’t consistent. Point is though, valuing the small things such as plants and crops. I think that gardening flows into that in interesting ways, because it’s a study in the interrelationship of things.

Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.

Isaiah 1:17 (CSB)

I find the concept of justice intriguing, as well as how to elevate the beautiful while while striving for justice. Justice confounds me, and I’m fascinated about a view of justice that elevates what it cherishes. I believe that we frequently forget to stand up for the things we adore, find attractive, and necessary.

I believe our brains are wired to be fascinated by something scary or dangerous, but we also become excited by great things that are intricate, endless, and unreal. Additionally, I believe that a portion of our body is programmed to communicate with others. We react to stories with evocative language and captivating words, and we have to accept the fact that on autopilot, something bad coming at us will galvanize us.

Most people would conclude that abusing the vulnerable through coercion or trickery is wrong. But how do we know what is morally correct? Well, God is just, and I think He establishes and defines what justice is. To make what is wrong right, we must do it according to God’s will, and we must consult the Bible to determine what is “right.” He also set an example for us to follow by showing compassion for the outcast.

Although the phrase “social justice” is frequently used nowadays, its definition is relatively ambiguous and can have a wide range of implications. Biblical justice, in contrast to social justice, begins with the eternal. Starting with prayer, pursuing justice requires effort and sacrifice, as well as the use of wise judgment. As He empowers us with the Holy Spirit, God leads and we follow.

Because of our God’s merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:78-79 (CSB)

Here is a display of God’s tenderness. We were all once in the dark, but God grants light to those who put their trust in Him, allowing them to leave the shadow of death behind them. He also promises to “guide our feet into the way of peace,” which means that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. God is the God of all comfort, and while He cannot mend what was not first broken, He is quick to help those whose hearts are wounded.

Justice, in my opinion, is love made public, but that alone is a strong enough claim. What public love is becomes more nuanced as a result of your work. Many things define tenderness, such as a softer part of ourselves, vulnerability, nurturing, and trade. Knowing there are other people, other things, and other things to tend to allows one to be tender. Either receiving it or displaying it is tenderness. There must always be tenderness in the things and people I love for it to be actual love. We might be able to care for one another, much alone love one another, if we examined our ideas about ourselves and one another and how they shape our lives in an open-minded and forgiving manner.

Every person I meet experiences deep personal pain in their daily life they are trying to overcome or have overcame. The enormous desert may be the foundation for the existential grief that affects us all, which is the fear that we and the things we cherish may soon perish.

3 Comments

Aissata · October 15, 2022 at 12:56 am

I love your interpretation of the different versus and how settle but unique each verse withers with another. You made a lot of great points and I enjoyed seeing your view in every single versus. Keep shining your light! You are needed! All love!

נערות ליווי · October 26, 2023 at 7:39 am

Hello! I simply would like to offer you a huge thumbs up for the great information you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.

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Hi, I’m Kaida. With my busy schedule, a job, college and everything in between, I still find time to do what I like most…writing it all down here. Would you like to make a comment? Feel free to do so by scrolling down to the bottom of a post you’ve read. And thanks for dropping by.

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