There’s a true story of a young lady who taught ESL in Senegal, West Africa and was going to be alone at Christmas for the first time in her life. She found a dusty old Christmas tree in her teacher’s quarters and hung a “sad little string of white lights” outside her room. She was feeling sad and sorry for herself as she headed to the grocery store for some groceries. On her way out of the store, she grabbed a bag of oranges, paid for the food and walked out onto the streets of Senegal.
As she headed down the steps of the store, she met Smiley Joe, a beggar, who often called out to her in his native language, “Got a gift for me, lady?” She went to offer a coin but then noticed his interest in her oranges and asked if he’d like one. He had leprosy. There was no point giving him the full orange so she sat down to peel his orange for him. Offering him the first piece, he indicated he wanted her to eat the first bite. When he had the next bite, he smiled with great enjoyment as the juice hit his tongue.
Soon, little kids who lived on the street gathered round. One boy, getting up the nerve, asked for an orange. In a blink, the teacher had given her whole bag of oranges away. Heidi Hess Saxton said, “That encounter with Smiley Joe taught (her) that the secret to a happy life is in the ability to find joy, even despite our immediate circumstances, despite the individuals who seem determined to make us miserable. However, no one — no matter how difficult, rude, or broken — can steal our joy without our permission.”
This is the third week of advent; the theme being “joy.” When it comes to celebrating joy, I am reminded of Habbakuk 3:17-18... "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in the God of my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength: He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to go on the heights."
The context of this passage comes from Israel being devastated by their enemies in which they lost all their crops of corn, livestock and other forms of food. Habbakuk, though in a desperate state, chose to determine that his joy came from God, regardless of the circumstances surrounding him. Like Heidi, he chose to find joy in the midst of difficulty.
Christmas is the time of year in which hardships seem to be amplified; the loss of loved ones, financial strain, layoffs, relationship stress, and even the colder weather we may encounter in southern Saskatchewan. However, Christmas, truly, is the time to find joy in the midst of those difficulties.
The birth of Jesus is a significant symbol of joy for all if we will see it. He came to this earth to bring love, joy, hope and peace to us! And his life was an offering poured out for you and me to come into a full and living relationship with Him! Now, in the season of anticipation, we celebrate not only His birth but the assurance of His love in our everyday circumstances. I pray you will choose to find true joy in unlikely places. God bless you!
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
