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JOY
Joy, according to Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary means great happiness, delight, and a source of happiness.
Luke 2:8-10 tells us: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
During the Christmas season I am filled with joy when I listen to the beautiful Christmas hymn “JOY TO THE WORLD”:
Joy to the world! The Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing. And heaven, and Heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the world! The Savior reigns; Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
When we give our heart to Jesus, we, too, will bear all the fruit of the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:9-10: “(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.”
Jeremiah 15:16: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.”
John 15:11: “These things have I spoken unto, you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
Romans 15:13: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I Peter 1:8: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
I John 1:4: “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
Nehemiah 8:10: “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Now, since we know that the “joy of the Lord is our strength,” let’s look at ways the five temperaments in Inclusion can be JOYFUL this Christmas.
The Choleric:
Since they are leaders and task- of the Lord is our strength,” let’s look at ways the five temperaments in Inclusion can be them to organize Christmas events such as pageants, parties, luncheons, dinners, cookie exchanges, preparing food for the homeless, collecting gifts for needy children, etc., they will take on the challenge and pull everything together.
It is usually difficult for them to say no when asked to organize these events as they are leaders and enjoy the challenge; however, before they realize it, they have taken on too many activities; once this happens, they tend to become stressed and irritable.
In order to not lose their JOY of what the Christmas season is all about—the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior—they need to learn to maintain balance and only take on what they can reasonably handle.
The Melancholy:
Since they are artistic, creative and task-oriented, they tend to use their creativity to work behind the scenes making background props, manager scenes, painting, decorating, etc. With their creative abilities, they can also make crafts, bake cookies, pies, and cakes for Church bazaars, etc.
It is usually difficult for them to say no when asked to use their creativity to help with these events. This is because they really enjoy creating and doing tasks; however, before they realize it, they have taken on too many activities; once this happens, they tend to become stressed and irritable.
In order to not lose their JOY of what the Christmas season is all about—the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, they need to learn to maintain balance and only take on what they can reasonably handle.
The Phlegmatic:
Since they are perfectionists and task–oriented, they can do tedious tasks; however, they will usually contribute their time to doing things that will not deplete their energy. They are usually good at helping in working out the smallest details for Christmas programs, dinners and events. This is because they tend to be perfectionists and are capable of doing tedious tasks and taking care of the minutest details.
They usually do not want to get involved in attending the actual social activities, and usually go only when they are pressured. If pressured too much by others, they may become stressed and irritable, and will then come to dread the Christmas season.
In order to not lose their JOY of what the Christmas season is all about—the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior— they do need to learn to attend some Christmas events with their family. Perhaps they can choose to attend the events that are most important or meaningful to them?
The Sanguine:
Since they are relationship-oriented, they enjoy coming to the Christmas events so that they can be with people. They are usually like sunshine on a rainy day and can add so much to the Christmas festivities.
They may offer to help with the preparation of the luncheons, dinners and other special events; however, once they get there and start interaction with people, they may forget what they volunteered to do. Since they enjoy being with people, they are good at interacting with people and would go around the room talking with everyone making them feel welcome.
In order to not lose their JOY of what the Christmas season is all about—the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior— they do need to learn to maintain balance and get enough rest as they can stress themselves because their “shoes are always at the door” and they will attend as many events as they possibly can.
The Supine:
Since they are relationship-oriented/task-oriented, and they have a servant’s heart, they will want to go to all the Christmas events that they are invited to attend.
It is usually difficult for them to say no when asked to help at these events. They will help in every way they possibly can. They will prepare food, set up tables, decorate tables, serve the food and beverages, and, if that is not enough, they will stay for the clean-up. Before they realize it, they can deplete themselves physically and emotionally. When this happens they may find themselves resenting the Christmas festivities.
In order to not lose their JOY of what the Christmas season is all about—the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior— they need to learn to maintain balance by learning that it is okay to say no—especially when they are on overload.
Please remember, no matter what your temperament:
God wants you to do whatever you do with a joyful and glad heart. (See Colossians 3:23) We need to be involved in Christmas celebrations so that this time of year feels special, but we must be careful not to exhaust our energy (and our good will) by overdoing it. It is important to set aside some time to spend in worship and reflection on the true meaning of Christmas!
Again, please remember Nehemiah 8:10:
THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH….
May you be filled this Christmas Season with God’s love so that you can reflect His inexplicable JOY and be a blessing to all those around you according to your God-given temperament.
JOY! JOY! JOY! JOY! JOY! JOY! JOY! JOY! JOY!