“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” —Colossians 3:12-13

“We are created for joy. We are born for joy.” —Jürgen Moltmann

We

a God of joy. (Psalm 100)

Joy is linked to

and wonder, to holy presence and extravagant love.

The four qualities of the

that lead to joy are perspective, humility, humor, and acceptance.

Week 1: Joy is a matter of

; when we move from I and me to us and we, we find joy.

Week 2: Humility: Jesus taught us that we are not the center of the universe –

is.

Week 3: Humor allows us to see the ridiculous in us all, to see our common

.

Week 4: Acceptance is not defeat; it’s the only place

can begin.

Until you accept that a season has ended, you can’t

a new one.

“When we accept the present, we can forgive and release the desire for a different past.” —Douglas Abrams

Today we begin looking at the qualities of the

that lead to joy.

The first quality of the heart that leads to joy is

.

“If you can’t forgive and forget, pick one.” —Anonymous

Pain and suffering come to us all, and you can’t stop them, but how we

is our choice.

The path of joy is

, and the path of sorrow is isolation.

My Additional Notes:

Our Problem: Loneliness

Nearly half of Americans report having fewer than

close friends.

One in ten people say they have no close

at all.

Since 1992, the number of Americans who say they have

to talk to about important matters

Reveal Answer

.

One in

people say they have no one with whom to discuss important matters. – Sociology study from Duke
University and the University of Arizona

When you focus too much on

, you become disconnected and alienated from others.

“If you are always thinking about the seven billion human beings, you will never experience loneliness.” —The Dalai Lama

My Additional Notes:

God’s Solution: Forgiveness and

Reveal Answer

“Forgiveness is the only way to heal ourselves and to be free from the past.” —Archbishop Tutu

When Jesus came to save the world, he did it in

with twelve disciples. (Luke 6:12-16)

Three realities: We

sin and need forgiveness. God is

Reveal Answer

to forgive us. We are to forgive others.

Community

when forgiveness stops.

Community requires the

practice of forgiveness.

“Indeed, no one is incapable of forgiving and no one is unforgivable.” —Archbishop Tutu

Knowing yourself to be

by God provides you the goodness and power to share forgiving love with others.

We cannot ask for ourselves what we

to others. (Mark 11:25-26)

Even across all of God’s

kingdom, forgiveness and peace-making are extremely common.

“Those who say forgiving is a sign of weakness haven’t tried it.” —Archbishop Tutu

Often the people we have the hardest time forgiving are those

to us.

Forgiveness was so important to Jesus that he gave his

for it. (Matthew 26:27-28)

My Additional Notes:

Action Step

List all the people who have good reason to be upset with you, but are not:

Be honest about the subtle ways we make people suffer when we have not forgiven them:

them, gossiping about them, holding onto negative thoughts about them. Who comes to mind?

Reveal Answer

.

Reveal Answer

them.

My Additional Notes: