The year I spent living among our elder sisters was a priceless lesson in the school of our family spirit. One particular evening, I spun around in my youthful enthusiasm just in time to catch a wince of pain flash across one of our more “veteran” sister’s face. There was nothing dramatic…nothing showy or self-absorbed… just the authentic expression of honest pain. As quickly as it came, it was gone. My eyes slowly scanned the room filed with so many women who have faithfully followed in the footsteps of Mother Luisita for 50, 60, and even 70 years! It dawned on my naïve, inexperienced mind that their simple joy, from which I daily benefited, was not merely a pleasant nicety – it was nothing short of heroic. Day after day, burdened with the trails of age, they consistently radiated the serene contentment of one who lacks nothing.
As I reflected on my own spirit of joy and how often it has been derailed, not by the pain of grinding of bones or the suffering of cancer, but by the frictions of daily life and the pervading presence of unwanted growths that “just don’t belong here.” I had to ask myself, “How? How do they do it, day in and day out, experiencing true joy in the midst of the cross?” They taught me that joy is a fruit of the Spirit that can only flourish when we are utterly convinced that our lives are held within the hands of our loving Father. We must believe with every fiber of our being that nothing can touch us without His consent and that He only allows what can bring about abundant good fruit. It is only when we trust Him with our whole hearts that we are able to delight in life exactly as it is with all its blessings and struggles.
So the next time you find yourself hopelessly fixated on that “thorn in the flesh” that seems to suck every ray of light from your day, ask yourself: “Do I believe that this is coming to me as a special gift from the One who loves me?” When we receive life in this way, we gain the freedom to delight in it just as it is, because we know that every single circumstance is for our sincere good. When we commit to living this way, day in and day out, we allow Him to teach us that nothing can take our joy away and that He desires that our “joy may be complete” .
