It will be stolen, depleted, diminished, forgotten, rejected, exhausted, used up, burned out, boxed out, crowded out, passed by, sidelined, left behind, ignored, marginalized, broken, weakened, overwhelmed, and silenced by the relentless roar of waves crashing on our shores.
And why is that, exactly? Why does that happen?
It doesn’t really matter. Why is an unhelpful question, I think. There are a million and one reasons why, and we can never bulwark ourselves against them all.
Perhaps a more helpful question to ask is how? How, then do we regain lost joy?
Here’s one idea: By asking for it, waiting patiently for it, and by receiving it when it is given. By learning to pray like David:
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Psalm 51:12
Joy is a finite resource, a resource that is only replenished as a gift. It is not a prize that we earn or a state of being that we achieve. But joy doesn’t have to be lost forever—it can be replenished. I would lump joy in with what Thomas Merton says about grace, mercy, and faith:
“[They] are not permanent inalienable possessions which we gain by our efforts and retain as though by right, provided that we behave ourselves. They are constantly renewed gifts.“
Thomas Merton, Contemplative Prayer
