Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash
Happiness vs. Joy
“Happy New Year”. That’s the saying. Everyone is going to be bringing in the new year whether or not he is ready. Time marches on. What would happen if, instead of bringing in the New Year, we blessed it in? Do we really want a happy new year when we can have a year filled with joy? Happiness is fleeting. Happiness has to do with circumstances. But we learn from many sources that, while happiness seems good, genuine joy is what we really need. Joy does not depend on what circumstances you find yourself in - happiness does. Joy will not abandon you as soon as the going gets tough - it walks beside you, holding your hand and your heart. Let’s reach for a joyful new year.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
And as we contemplate that, here is a thought or two about time, since “Father Time” is the symbol of the new year. As you well know, if you have read my writing very long, I love quotes that speak to my heart. As we go into the new year, we need to consider what we are spending our time on, because that is really what it’s all about, isn’t it?
Antoinette Bosco said, “Time isn’t a commodity, something you pass around like cake. Time is the substance of life. When anyone asks you to give your time, they’re really asking for a chunk of your life.” Down home on the farm, we have always felt that to be the truth. When folks come to visit, or to stay a few days, we are always so grateful and try to remember to thank them for their gift. The gift of time is sacred, and once given, it is never regained.
I’m sure we have all had someone, hardworking, earnest, well-meaning, request that we help or head or do something. Sure, it’s easier, even with limited resources, to find a little money to throw in that direction, saying we don’t have time. But does the person asking you realize he is actually requesting not just some time but a chunk of your life? Someone once said, “What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.”
I recently heard my beautiful daughter say something that I have often since wished I’d known earlier. She said, “My free time is not my availability.” How many times have we had some free time only for someone else to assume that they may fill it for us? And the use of the word “free” is even a little questionable. If it is something that you can never get back, is it truly free time? What does it cost you? It costs you your life.
Photo by Isabela Kronemberger on Unsplash
But back to the new year: For a long time, people have made resolutions for their new year. Several years ago, I decided that doing that was planning on failing. So I selected for many years a piece of scripture on which to base my year. When we begin each new day meditating on a verse (or verses) from the Creator of time, we can find that not only is our time better spent, but it is truly a treasure, a gift from a loving Father. Benjamin Franklin wasn’t setting down a list of resolutions when he said, “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” I just bet you can find a scripture or two to concentrate on in the coming year.
Richard C Woodsome once said, “You can never change the past. But by the grace of God, you can win the future. So remember those things which will help you forward, but forget those things which will only hold you back.”