where there is sadness, joy

Sadness is a state of being for many people. They live in it, see life through it, and assume that this is the way it’s going to be from now on. And when this happens, sadness takes over, takes control, always whispering in your ear: times are bad and they won’t get better. And then one day, while out for a lonely, sad walk, you crest the hill, look down into the valley and gasp at what you see. The whole valley floor is covered in bright yellow flowers; not a few, but hundreds and hundreds. And without thinking, you run down the hill into the sea of yellow and dive into the beauty like you would a swimming pool. The aroma of the good earth, the fragrance of the shimmering flowers, the shock of it all…something creates a feeling of deep joy. You lay on your back, looking at a bright blue sky, surrounded by yellow flowers dancing in the gentle breeze. The whole valley seems to sing out its welcome. And you think to yourself: the cause of my sadness still exists, but I choose to live with it instead of in it. I can live with sadness if I must because now I have felt the touch of joy, the embrace of a gift. Sadness will finally give up and slip away, but joy lasts. Joy endures.

I wonder where all these beautiful flowers came from? you wonder to yourself. How was this valley transformed into a place of healing and joy. Here’s the answer: not long ago a man came through the barren valley with large bags carried on a wagon. And as he walked back and forth in the valley, he threw seeds into the air, and the air carried them all over the land and dropped them like a blanket. And rain came as the man left the valley, almost as if timed, and covered the seeds in nourishing water. And the earth opened her arms and welcomed the moist seeds, embraced them until they could contain themselves no longer and burst into joyful yellow flowers.

And then they waited. Waited for you to come along. How grateful we are to the One who creates the seeds and to the one who scatters them.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace…where there is sadness, let me sow joy…”