John15:9-17 "Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love....I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you..."
I have read this passage many many times through my life. I always heard the love part. Love, love, love, makes the world go round. I think when I was a lot younger I equated the love with joy as romantic love. Just loving ordinary people didn't seem to me to be joyful. That was the immature me of long ago.
These days romantic love seems long ago and far away. I am not holding my breath for romantic love to come along. I don't trust romantic love like I did when I was younger. My heart still goes pity pat sometimes, but I really don't expect to act on it. So, where is joy?
This reading really hit me today. Love equals joy. This love is the act of loving, loving acts, kindness is a mild way to describe it. But it is more than kindness. Caring about others and acting that care equals joy. I can find joy when I act in love. I can find more joy when I love and love and love. This means letting go of selfish desires or petty grudges. This means doing good, like the Good Samaritan. This means helping others in any way that I can. In this way, I will know joy. I will know God.
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