“Who I’d like to meet” is a standard profile question on the popular social networking site, Myspace.com. Many answer that question with a long list of the kinds of people they would like to meet. One page I stumbled upon answered the question plainly: “All who live in true joy.” I had to wonder if anyone would respond.

Here we are at the start of another new year. We are making a lot of resolutions, but have we thought about the goal of living in joy?

Joy seems elusive to many. As a pastor of a Lutheran church, I see alot of suffering, hurt, and despair.

And then I see joy where I least expect it. My friend whose wife is in a nursing home with a debilitating illness told me that he can still find joy while spending time with her. I’ve also seen poverty-stricken people dance with joy during worship.

What is their secret? How can they possibly have joy when their circumstances seem so grim? From what I’ve observed in my own life and in the lives of my parishioners, I have come to believe that joy is available to us, but we often are not aware of it.

We need to learn how to use the joy that is already ours. The dictionary defines joy as: “a state of happiness or felicity: bliss, a source or cause of delight.” As women of faith, we know this source to be God — the source of all light and life. To tap into the joy of the Lord, which the Bible says is our strength, we must draw nearer to God.

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