Fullness of Joy

"In Thy Presence is fullness of joy." -- The Bible

"There is one thought in particular that should be remembered throughout the day. It is a thought of pure joy; a thought of peace, a thought of limitless release, limitless because all things are freed within it." -- A Course in Miracles

Joy arises so unexpectedly. It is a delight to notice that whenever my defenses are down, joy bubbles up. It is the Truth of Our Being... since we are One with the Allness of God, the Joy of His Presence is always here, the ground of True Being, like an impish child waiting to be discovered in its unlikely hiding place. Every time it happens, I am surprised and delighted anew. It's a game we can never tire of. Who would have thought Joy would be here, now, in the midst of this apparent suffering? Or in the midst of whatever unsavory dream we are experiencing? We're not surprised to find Joy in everyday things that we love or have chosen... it's the unexpected bubbling up of Joy in the midst of what we don't want that brings the greatest surprise and delight. And a blessed assurance.

I have lived long enough, and had an interesting enough life, to know that it happens every time. I of course play the game and fall for it every time, just like a child immersed in make-believe. And then, voila! It was all made up! Joy never went anywhere. I never went anywhere. I have always been safe in God, in Self, in LOVE. What joy! I am no stranger lately to tears of gratitude.
The biggest challenge throughout the ages has been to even talk about this. Rumi wrote ecstatic poetry and knew that many considered him crazy. He didn't care. Jeshua ben Joseph walked and lived this Love and Joy, and many considered Him crazy and dangerously radical. He didn't care. This Joy cannot and will not be denied in any of us, since IT IS US. As ACIM puts it, "God is inevitable." We will always and only find Joy in the midst of whatever seems to be, since it is our only True Reality. What is Real and True will always remain, just as everything that is untrue will fall away sooner or later. Thank God.

So let yourself go. Let this Joy well up and take hold of your life, and mine. Let the Fullness of Joy be known everywhere this day, and always.