THE SET UP: One thing I love about children is their unhindered emotions. No matter what a young child is feeling, you know it. Whether it’s unbridled enthusiasm, absolute terror, or an ear-shattering tantrum (all of which can be seen when a child meets Santa), it’s undoubtedly clear what emotion they are feeling. They wear the emotions on their sleeves and have no problem showing the world how they feel.
At some point during our childhood, we start to reign in those emotions. Our brains develop further to give us impulse control, and we learn more acceptable ways to communicate our emotions. We learn that it’s not okay to throw ourselves to the ground screaming in the grocery store aisle because mom told us we couldn’t have that candy bar. We learn that we don’t need to sob uncontrollably when our sock doesn’t fit right inside of our shoe. We gradually become better contributors to society because we learn how to problem solve and think about our actions rather than just impulsively following our emotions.
This is all well and good, but in learning how to control our emotions, we also become better at hiding them. We become aware of what we might look like to those around us, and as adults, we will shove down emotions to keep from looking overly dramatic or ridiculous. Small kids don’t care what they look like when they react emotionally; they just show how they feel, regardless of how it might look to those around them. They don’t care if they look ridiculous jumping up and down chasing bubbles. All they know is that bubbles make them happy and they have a physical reaction to that joy.
One of my favorite things in the world is seeing kids react physically to joy and happiness. They honestly have no concept of shame! They will dance when their favorite song comes on. They jump and clap and smile when they see a loved one. It’s like their joy is so big their little bodies can’t contain it all; it just has to come out somehow!
As adults, we lose that childlike joy and wonder. We’re so focused on keeping up our image that we don’t allow ourselves to find joy in the small things that make us happy. We’re too afraid of how we might look that we stop dancing and singing to our favorite songs. We stop showing how much we love another person because we see them every day and “they should know.”
In today’s reading, King David embodied pure childlike joy as he brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant (also called the Ark of God) was a special monument built by the ancient Hebrews meant to symbolize God’s presence with His people. The ark was essentially a large, ornate chest that held the tablets Moses wrote God’s law on, a pot of manna to serve as a reminder of God’s provision, and a wooden staff to symbolize God’s leadership.
Bringing the ark back to Jerusalem was one of David’s first accomplishments as the new king of Israel. He understood the importance of having the symbol of God’s presence in the capital city. This also made a very clear statement about his intention of being a godly king.
David was so overjoyed about the ark being back in Jerusalem that he started dancing! Can you imagine a political leader setting aside all decorum to dance? How would people react if President Joe Biden became so overjoyed that he broke out the Electric Slide? There absolutely would be some confusion and bewilderment.
David’s wife wasn’t just confused about David’s actions; she was irate! She was the daughter of the previous king and clearly had thoughts about how a king should act. Dancing in the middle of the street was not one of those, and she had no qualms about setting David straight. However, David ended up shutting her down. God had crowned him as king over Israel, and he would celebrate in order to worship God, even if it meant looking foolish.
David shows us that it’s okay to have a physical reaction to joy. Maybe you won’t start dancing on Christmas, but may this Advent season remind you of the childlike joy we can find in Jesus.
Jesus came to bring us everlasting joy which is found in knowing the eternity with Him that awaits us. But He also gives us joy in the everyday moments, too. We can worship Him unashamedly and enjoy this life He has given us because we are utterly accepted and loved by Him.
PASSAGES TO READ: 2 Samuel 6:14-22
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
What is something in your everyday life that brings you joy?
When you are excited/happy/joyful about something, how do you naturally want to act? Do you hold back from that? Why or why not?
How does Jesus bring us joy in the small things?
PRAYER IDEA: “God, You are the creator of emotions, and You created people to have feelings. We aren’t meant to keep everything tucked inside. May I always seek to glorify you in how I react to my feelings, and may I be wise in how I communicate my emotions. I pray that I also learn how to live joyfully without shame, knowing that I am fully accepted by You. May the joy that I have found in You impact my whole body and soul. Amen.”