The Ship of Joy

Last updated on: July 9, 2012 at 1:42 pm by Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble

The Ship of Joy 2012-07-09T13:42:00-04:00 Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble

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Joy riding old school…

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. – John 15:11

Joy is like an old ship that was headed to some adventure, but sinks instead like a slow rock under the heaviness of life, waiting to be unearthed.

It takes a while to uncover joy. It usually is under several feet of murky water, rotting in sin. Divers, plunging in on the breath of prayer, found my ship a while ago, full of Spanish gold.

The treasure laden ship has started to rise to the surface on the current of contemplation. But I am reluctant to let it. I have just enough happiness to coast for now. I cannot imagine swimming in gold. If I throw around my money, everyone will see that I am one of those annoying “nouveau riche” Christians and they will either roll their eyes or expect way too much from me.

They won’t realize of course that the money is not mine, I inherited it a while back. The marine trust fund has been discovered, but it could disappear again underwater at any time. So, instead of facing the constant fear of sinking, I simply keep my hand on the ship of joy, watching as it bobs underwater, struggling to get to the surface.

Too much joy after all is just not something most people want or can handle. It causes unrealistic expectations and of course, like everyone, I am deathly afraid of smiling for the rest of my life. Joy and sanctity are so intertwined. Too much sanctity, now that is even scarier than the never ending smile. So I have decided to keep this joy boat under wraps. It seems proper.

After all, like most people, I prefer to waver just above average in the sanctity business – just enough so people will admire me but no more. With anything more than slightly above mediocre comes the hassle of consistency. God knows, it’s the consistency that makes a saint. And then the adventure is all over from there.

Or is it?

I forgot it’s the ship of joy that carries us on the adventure in the first place.

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