Where's Your Joy

“Where is your Joy”? is the topic of my wisdom talk this week and it’s certainly a question that is at the forefront of many peoples minds these days.

Because of the disruptive influence of the pandemic these past few years, it may appear to many that we have been separated from our joy. Air travel has been disrupted, vacations impacted as a result and the incidents of road rage are at an all time high around the nation.

Many people are not feeling that they are living joy-filled lives.

There is an ancient Yoruba proverb that offers us some insight on our joy. It reminds us that “However far the stream flows, it never forgets its source.”

This wisdom invites us to turn within to the place of remembrance where the true source of our joy resides, in this very moment. Despite the incessant call of societal demands to fulfill one obligation or another, we have the power to stop, draw a deep breathe and realize the Presence in this present moment.

In this place of stillness, we can “realize” with our “real eyes”, the inner eyes of the Soul, how our divine Source is calling us into action, and into sacred Service for the beloved community.
For the source of our seeming separation from our Good stems not so much that we think so much of ourselves, or even so little of our selves, but from the fact that we have been misled into thinking only of ourselves.

Consumed by fears that we will not get what we want, or that we will lose what we have, we allow our minds to take control of our lives in a struggle to just survive.

The opportunity exists to thrive, rather than survive and to move from a place of fear and anxiety about the future into the infinitely creative space of service to others in the Now.

Entering into the Joy of the Divine involves sacred service to one another. It is only in allowing oursleves be a channel of divine selfless service that we experience the absolute Joy of Giving.

Selfless service calls us forward into allowing the loving light to move through us into the world in such a way that the law of reciprocity amplifies its return into our lives. We forget about our obsessions with the grand designs for our own lives and we become commited to helping others live their best lives.

Almost 2 years ago we learned about the healing power of the Ubuntu circles for people who identify as African American. Ubuntu is a south african word that translates into “I am because we are”. It is a spiritual principle and a communal leadership philosophy that suggests that we are all connected and that our collective is the basis for all that is right and proper.

Certainly the Joy in my life is important but equally as important is the Collective joy in our beloved community. How can we assist one another with living our best lives and raising the life condition of all in our neighborhood?

Therein lies our Joy. It is right where we are, summoning us to remembrance that we belong to one another. When Joy happens anywhere, it can happen everywhere as long as we remember and act upon that truth : “I am, because We are”.

If your ancestors were black, ask me about Ubuntu healing circles and how they can help you connect more deeply to your authentic self while healing the impacts of systemic racism. Rev Scott is also leading a workshop on White Resilience for folk who identify as white so they can better understand the impact of racism on us individually and collectively.

You can also join us monthly in the Beloved Community circles where we are learning more about NonViolent and Compassionate Communication.

Together we can co-create sacred service that lifts us all.