Theme for Week Three
Cultivating Joy
Cultivating joy is a gradual process,
built through small, meaningful actions.
- Randy Callender
Yesterday’s reflection helps us begin our focus on this week’s theme: cultivating the fruit of joy in our lives.
Randy shared a story about feeling a lack of joy after moving to a new city. He realized that, like a gardener, if he wanted to see some new growth and some new fruit, he would have to cultivate it. So he began reaching out to others and slowly began to do things that would eventually create the joy he was seeking. We tend to think of the joy of big moments and forget that most often it can be found in the small day-to-day habits and choices we create.
I remember watching the Olympics last summer and hearing Simone Biles being interviewed. She said she had stepped away from gymnastics a few years prior because she was no longer enjoying it, and her mental health was suffering. Only when she rediscovered the joy of her workouts could she begin to train again. She said she had to stop focusing on outcomes and learn to find joy in the day-to-day training process.
Big occasions and important outcomes are nice. But life is lived mostly in the quiet times of small choices. As we focus on cultivating joy this week, these small choices and actions are a good place to direct our attention.
Making It Personal: What small moments or choices are bringing you joy right now? If you are seeking more joy, what is one small, meaningful action you could take this week to help cultivate it?
Listen To Our Lent Podcast Episodes
We also invite you to listen to the Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast hosted by Scott Stoner. This is a year-round, weekly podcast; however, during Lent, there will be two new episodes each week to enrich your experience of our Lenten readings on Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit.
You can listen to the podcast on our website by clicking HERE. You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast listening app (Apple, Google, Spotify, etc.)—just search for Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness