Joy to the World

Let me tell you what happened to me at the mall a few days ago. I needed to buy some last-minute Christmas gifts, so I drove to the shopping center. Big mistake! The parking lot was completely packed - cars everywhere! I drove around and around for almost an hour looking for just one empty parking space. I was getting really frustrated and annoyed. When I finally found a spot and went inside, there were people everywhere - shoulder to shoulder, pushing through the crowds. I started thinking, "Why did I come here so close to Christmas? This is terrible!"

After fighting through all those crowds, I finally found what I needed and got in the checkout line. And guess what? The line stretched forever - it looked like it would take an hour just to pay! Now, if there's one thing I really don't like, it's waiting in long lines. I was standing there getting more and more grumpy, complaining in my head about how slow everything was moving. I looked at the family in front of me and thought, "Why can't those parents make their kids behave? Don't they see they're bothering everyone else who just wants to wait quietly?"

But then something happened. I started thinking differently. I asked myself, "What else could I do while I'm waiting here instead of just being in a bad mood?" I realized I could actually talk to the people around me - maybe ask about their holiday plans or share what my family was doing for Christmas. That would make the time go by faster! And you know what? Those kids in front of me weren't really being bad - they were actually pretty cute! They were just having fun while they waited, playing little games and giggling together. I could enjoy watching them instead of being annoyed.

Then suddenly, I heard something I hadn't even noticed before. Christmas music was playing over the store speakers: "Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!" When I heard those words, I felt really ashamed of how I'd been acting. Here it was, the Christmas season - the time when we celebrate Jesus being born - and I was acting like a grumpy old Scrooge! Jesus came to earth so we could have lives filled with real joy, and there I was, choosing to be miserable instead.

Think about this: sometimes people say, "I can't wait until Christmas!" But the truth is, we can wait - we have to wait! The real question is: How are we going to wait? Are we going to wait by being grumpy and complaining? Or are we going to choose to experience all the joy of this amazing season when we celebrate Jesus' birth - the one who brings us true joy?

This brings us to something really important. Today we light the third candle on our Advent Wreath - the Joy candle, which is usually pink or rose-colored. Advent is all about waiting, but it's joyful waiting! We're not just waiting for Christmas Day to open presents. We're waiting to celebrate that Jesus came to earth as a baby to save us. And we're also waiting for something even more amazing - Jesus promised he will come back again someday to take everyone who believes in him to heaven, where we'll have perfect joy forever!

Here's something to think about: What does real joy look like? Joy is different from just being happy. Happiness comes and goes depending on what's happening to us. But joy - the kind Jesus gives us - stays with us even when things are hard or frustrating. Joy comes from knowing that God loves us, that Jesus died for our sins, and that we belong to God's family forever. That's the kind of joy we can have even when we're stuck in a long line at the store!

So here's a challenge for you this week: When you have to wait for something - maybe in line at lunch, or for your turn in a game, or for Christmas morning - remember the joy candle. Ask yourself: "How can I show Jesus' joy while I'm waiting?" Maybe you could encourage someone else, help make waiting fun for little kids around you, or just remember how blessed you are to be God's child.

Let's pray together: Father God, as we wait to celebrate Jesus' birthday, and as we wait for the day when Jesus will come back again, please fill our hearts with your special joy - the kind that doesn't depend on getting what we want right away, but comes from knowing how much you love us. Help us share that joy with others while we wait. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.