Rick Burnette
CBF Field Personnel, Immokalee, Fla.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4
I’m not going to lie. These are challenging times. Now in our early 60s, Ellen and I have entered an interesting stage of life. We lost one parent recently and the surviving three are very elderly and increasingly frail. We feel the pain of hardships being faced by our adult children. And our farmworker neighbors in Immokalee are caught between a rock and a hard place with unbearable conditions in their homelands while facing increased hostility in the United States.
The world is on fire and it’s easy to slip into some stage of despair. Despair desiccates the soul and can paralyze efforts related to my role as a husband, son, dad, grandad, neighbor, coworker and missionary. As I am not immune from despair, its prevention requires intentionality.
Joy is the opposite of despair. Joy is the antidote to despair. I used to think that joy was mostly serendipitous. But I’ve come to realize that as much as I might choose to expect despair, I can also nurture joy.
My black and brown friends are teaching me about joy. In recent years I’ve become familiar with the term “Black joy.”
In a January 24, 2024, Center for Action and Contemplation post, African American theologian and teacher, Barbara Holmes, asserted that resilience is needed for our current circumstances, along with a “steadfast belief that joy is a healing inner event and a spiritual practice.”
I confess that I’ve been holding out on joy. Unless things were just right in my personal universe, I reserved the right to express thankfulness and entertain the possibility of joy. Joy is not merely passively received. It’s within reach. And it’s necessary for a healthy spiritual ecosystem, allowing us to engage with a world of need and opportunity.
or me, joy has three key precursors: gratitude, awe and positive action. Gratitude is doable. Counting blessings isn’t a heavy lift, starting with the low-hanging fruit of family, health, vocation and the natural beauty that surrounds me.
Thankfully, awe comes quite easily in my usual outdoor settings. During morning walks, I am awestruck by the sunrise grandeur. The stained glass of dawn—orange, gold and pink clouds—never fails to generate wonderment. Routine garden activities induce awe as I observe everyday botanical miracles: germination, emergence, growth, flowering and fruit formation.
Even though our work is heavy, despair-destroying joy is often derived alongside coworkers, in the presence of the least of these. Lord, bless those with whom I’m privileged to rub shoulder
The American congressman and civil rights leader, John Lewis, summed it up best:
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Yes, there’s also that good trouble—necessary trouble—that awaits us all, if we dare.
Pray, Practice, Ponder
Walk prayerfully and meditatively along the street, in the woods, or in the garden. Allow awe, presented in any manner, to penetrate your senses to be recognized within your mind and soul. Offer it back to God in gratitude.
Pray. . .Give. . .Go.