Choose the Joy (not to be confused with sparking joy)

Mary performing Bartok in Benson Great Hall at Bethel University

All Three 2019 Upper Level Piano Soloists

That's a keeper

Another story. . . . 

Joy is kind of hot topic these days. Does it "Spark Joy"?
At our house we talk about sparking things, you need to spark your closet, young lady. . .
And my phone case says "choose JOY" on the back--which of coarse I reflect upon every time I pick up my phone to check a text or email. Not. . .

Still it's true. And I came upon this yesterday morning in Mornings with Henri J.M. Nouwen, a small devotion book that I have mentioned before.

People who have come to know the joy of God do not deny the darkness, but they choose not to live in it. They claim that the light that shines in the darkness can be trusted more than the darkness itself and that a little bit of light can dispel a lot of darkness. They point each other to flashes of light here and there, and remind each other that they reveal the hidden but real presence of God. They discover that there are people who heal each other's wounds, forgive each other's offenses, share their possessions, foster the spirit of community, celebrate the gifts they have received, and live in constant anticipation of the full manifestation of God's glory.
Every moment of each day I have the chance to choose between cynicism and joy. Every thought I have can be cynical or joyful. Every word I speak can be cynical of joyful. Every action can be cynical or joyful. Increasingly I am aware of all these possible choices, and increasingly I discover that every choice I make for joy in turn reveals more joy and offers more reason to make life a true celebration in the house of the Father.
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As one who is tempted by cynicism I found it profound to think about joy being the antidote. The opposite.

This weekend we had a lot of joy. Mary performed as an upper level soloist at the Suzuki Association of Minnesota graduation recitals. Though she is in between her book six and seven graduations, this year as piano graduation chair, along with the committee, I invited her to perform. We've done this before. It brought me great joy. I believe it brought her great joy as well.

My mom painted Mary a little sign when she was a toddler, it had cream and gold paint and it says "scatter joy." And Mary does. She's human. And a tween. But more often than not she chooses joy and that helps me to set aside my natural tendencies as well.

Congrats to Jackson and Sarah who also performed so beautifully and to their teachers Annette and Suzanne. And thank you to the flutes, harps and guitars for sharing their recital. I hope to showcase our advanced piano students for many years to come.

Here is a link to her performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKihNmr8LJY
May it bring some joy to the world.