I have a 15 year old daughter.  There are moments when I see and experience with her happiness and joy, but mostly I see teenage angst and moodiness and stress over school-work.  This past weekend, I had the opportunity to see her experience sheer joy and excitement in the discovery of a new passion.  

Will this new passion be her life’s work?  I do not know.  Is it an important part of her development and learning of who she is?  Most definitely. 

I realized that 15 year olds are not drastically different from 45 year olds.  We all can easily get caught up in the angst, moodiness and stress of life; when, what we could do is to engage that for which we are passionate and find the sheer joy in our own lives. 

Also, I realized, that congregations are not drastically different from individuals.  We get caught up in the negative details and stress of everyday life and we forget that for which we are called or is our purpose.  We forget that congregations are about sharing God’s love in the world and with each other.  We forget that our work is about love and adoration and appreciation and gratitude. 

Watching my 15 year old daughter let go and have fun in the moment of doing something she loved, was a wonderful lesson to me that we (individuals) should take the time to experience sheer joy, and that congregations could benefit from focusing on joy rather than hanging out in the angst.   How would your congregation be different if it focused on joy and the positive?  How would your life be different if you experienced joy everyday?

Beth Kennett, August 2010