Kristen Grossman Prose

Joy

I have never chosen a word to be my motto at the start of a new year, but this year it seemed like a good idea. Maybe you can relate. I was under no illusions that a new date on our calendar would replace the disappointments of 2020 with unity, good health, and sunshine. Therefore, the word I decided on was JOY. I knew there would still be difficulties, and I wanted to face those difficulties with the mindset of seeking JOY despite the trials.

Somehow, I thought approaching 2021 with this mindset would make finding JOY a little bit easier. However, both personal pain and national chaos have already made seeking JOY a struggle for me. And as I write this, we are only ten days into the new year! I’ve started thinking maybe I should change my word to something less lofty and more manageable. Like PENS.

PENS

That seems like a silly word, however, when I survey the collection of PENS I have amassed in just the last ten days, PENS definitely seems to be a new theme for me.

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As someone who wants to write, I have been sadly bereft of words for months. However, my new PEN obsession has gotten me to open my journal again. My journal may be short on words and heavy on calligraphy practice and colorful doodles, but I am writing in it again.

Holy Spirit

In my small group, we are reading Francis Chan’s book on the Holy Spirit, “Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.” The first chapter in the workbook had us looking up 15 Scripture passages that describe how the Holy Spirit can be at work in our lives. The passage that spoke to me most strongly is found in Romans:

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This verse ties together so many of the things my heart longs for. Hope. JOY. Peace. Furthermore, it shows me that I can’t take on the burden alone of striving to find these things. No matter how I steel myself to find the good in any situation, no matter how strongly I remind myself that all things work together for good, no matter how I strive to look up instead of around me, I fail. I lose the JOY. I lose peace. I may even lose hope.

I can’t manifest these traits on my own. Jesus knew that. When He left the earth in physical form, He left behind the precious gift of the Holy Spirit. I can’t always find the JOY on my own. But the Holy Spirit, if I allow Him, can give me hope. Not just a little smidge of hope. Hope OVERFLOWING. And when I have this hope, I will have JOY and peace.

So now, I am going to grab my journal, my fancy new PENS, my Bible, and my “Forgotten God” workbook, and continue exploring how to let the Holy Spirit transform me from within.

Meanwhile, I’d love to know if you have chosen a word or motto for 2021. If so, how is that word serving you so far? Also, like me, do you have something simple or silly (like PENS) that is unexpectedly helping you get through? I’d love to hear your stories.

Dear Heavenly Father, nothing that happens is a surprise to you. You knew we would experience times of hurt, confusion, and pain. Knowing this, you did not leave us on our own to find our way. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and for the reminder that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave is alive in each one of us, if we allow Him to be. Amen.