photo © 2010 Yogendra Joshi | more info (via: Wylio)Yesterday, John left the following comment:
I guess that is why depression is a taboo amongst Christians - not really taking seriously the message of God or being 'filled with the Holy Spirit' if you are depressed. Being a depressed Christian is probably worse than knowing the words to the 'what did the Roman's ever do for us' scene in the Life of Brian off by heart. Ah-hem.
Err.. where was I?
Ah-yes, I believe Rowan is right - joy is not about happiness or cheerfulness.. it is something deeper - a connection with the now and an ability to be in the moment.
Lent is my favourite time of the year - I love the discipline of stripping away all the crap, all the things that I use to hide my 'anxiety, self-absorbed worry or vanity or resentment'. Actually, I could probably add to Rowan's list of things that sap joy... guilt, shame, emptiness, loneliness.... Only when I stop hiding behind happiness can I start stripping all that deeper stuff away.
Each year I find something new at Lent that needs to be dealt with - last year it was a profound emptiness, this year it was a deep anxiety about getting a job. Mercifully, the anxiety seems to have gone now.. not that I have found a job yet!
Interestingly, I find it hard to face these things in myself, to admit them. That is why I do stuff to make myself happy - eat another biscuit, watch a film, go to the pub, make a cup of coffee. Mercifully, each evening, when I pray I have to come face to face with myself and sort the crap of the day out... but the discipline of the extended period of the forty days of Lent where I try to exclude the distractions is one of the best gifts that the church has given me.
So, good for Rowan - it is a great message.
Did you read the ABC's sermon for Easter? I'm not a Christian but I connected with it myself. I think it inspires us to reflect and find that quiet time and do some listening to the small voice. I just go with the flow these days, but I was moved by the ABC's description of joy and how you can take the rough with the smooth when you have inner peace.That is pretty cool - the Archbishop connecting with folks who aren't Christian and having a message that is accessible for all. I thought I'd better read it. This is my favourite bit, where Rowan is talking about joy:
It is not – God forbid – feeling cheerful, it is not pretending that things aren’t so bad after all. And it’s a grim reproach that that’s all too often what people half-expect from Christians, a glib and dishonest cheerfulness. No, it is an overwhelming sense of being where you should be, being in tune with something or someone, being rooted in the moment in a way that doesn’t at all blur your honesty about what’s there in front of your eyes but gives you what you need to sit in the presence of horror and grief, and live.I love the aside about how people expect Christians to be cheerful - there was a time when I was like that - I pretended to be happy all the time, otherwise I felt like I was letting God down. The fruits of the spirit are love, joy.... and all that.
More than just a feeling, then, a passing emotion, certainly more than a self-conscious determination to put a brave face on things. Once again we have to be clear that it depends on something quite other than our efforts and our will power. And that takes us into a further dimension of joy. What we can contribute by our will or effort is not a system for making ourselves happy but a habit of readiness to receive. The person whose mind is completely cluttered with anxiety, self-absorbed worry or vanity or resentment, is going to find it hard to give way to moments of gift and surprise. That’s why people who are fairly used to taking time in silence and reflection may often be people in whom you see joy coming through.
I guess that is why depression is a taboo amongst Christians - not really taking seriously the message of God or being 'filled with the Holy Spirit' if you are depressed. Being a depressed Christian is probably worse than knowing the words to the 'what did the Roman's ever do for us' scene in the Life of Brian off by heart. Ah-hem.
Err.. where was I?
Ah-yes, I believe Rowan is right - joy is not about happiness or cheerfulness.. it is something deeper - a connection with the now and an ability to be in the moment.
Lent is my favourite time of the year - I love the discipline of stripping away all the crap, all the things that I use to hide my 'anxiety, self-absorbed worry or vanity or resentment'. Actually, I could probably add to Rowan's list of things that sap joy... guilt, shame, emptiness, loneliness.... Only when I stop hiding behind happiness can I start stripping all that deeper stuff away.
Each year I find something new at Lent that needs to be dealt with - last year it was a profound emptiness, this year it was a deep anxiety about getting a job. Mercifully, the anxiety seems to have gone now.. not that I have found a job yet!
Interestingly, I find it hard to face these things in myself, to admit them. That is why I do stuff to make myself happy - eat another biscuit, watch a film, go to the pub, make a cup of coffee. Mercifully, each evening, when I pray I have to come face to face with myself and sort the crap of the day out... but the discipline of the extended period of the forty days of Lent where I try to exclude the distractions is one of the best gifts that the church has given me.
So, good for Rowan - it is a great message.