Joy Overflowing

“I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).

One of the greatest gifts of the Spirit is joy, more the joy of being-with than of having something. It is the joy which arises from the sensed presence of God; that is, from the nearness of God, as God enters into a unitive “We” with us. Here is a poetic meditation on this heavenly joy:  

Sometimes You just burst forth,
Overflowing the banks of my being.
You do so always unexpectedly,
Generating moments of silent joy,
Of love celebrating itself
In its secret sufficiency.

You always catch me by surprise,
Taking my breath away,
Compelling me to inhale Yours.
Your sudden abundance only intensifies my joy,
Only humbles me
As Your delight anoints
My readied being.

Whose joy is this, then,
Yours or mine —
Or is it ours?
It feels like my joy,
Yet it is not of me,
For it extends beyond me.

It is a joy of being,
Not of having,
Save of having my being
Interwoven with Yours.

Perhaps this joy does not issue from You or me,
But rather arises between us,
Like gravity between heavenly bodies
Or a rainbow between unseen poles.
What greater mystery than what abides between us,
From where joy arises?

The joy of sheer being,
Of being more than with,
But rather being one with –
This is joy immeasurable,
As caught in Your current,
I flow out beyond myself,
With You, into You.