Happy. Place.
He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars.
~ Jack London, The Call of the Wild
What’s your happy place?
My brother-in-law took his time answering the question as we walked the streets of Breckenridge this week. “I don’t want to just toss out the first thing that comes to mind,” he said. “That question is worthy of some real reflection.” Right!? Do you feel that way?
It’s vital to notice those moments when our souls lift, when something like joy wells up within us, when we feel fully alive and instinctively want to return to that particular activity. It feels like home. It speaks to something deep, true, and dare I say divine within us. We are hardwired to show up in this world in ways that elicit delight—within us and, by extension, within others.
There are also, of course, those moments in life that are deeply sorrowful and marked by pain; that too is a necessary part of the human experiment, and those moments serve their holy purpose as well. But joy… to touch joy is to touch the ineffable, the transcendent. To find your happy place is to make God belly-laugh and to buoy up the collective spirit of the world. Delight is sacred.
So, seriously, what is that place for you? Maybe you are blessed with several, but without at least one, you are merely marking time and squandering the life of Christ within you. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find that place, know it, relish it, and let your joy emanate out into the atmosphere. Even if your thing isn’t altruistic per se, joy is intrinsically redemptive. And redemption is the essence of Your-Kingdom-Come.
Over the last week I’ve noticed three “happy places” for me—activities that draw me like a homing beacon pretty much every time. Activities that elevate my sense of aliveness, that make me feel like this is what I’m meant for! And the first one is writing: writing this blog, writing curriculum, writing books, writing just about anything. Shocking, I know. I have written about 1000 of these weekly posts over the last 20 years. Just for the sheer joy of it.
I am hoping to compile a book from these posts by end of year. If you’d like to be notified when published, let me know here.
growing your soul
Don’t let this day go by without articulating your “happy place”—to yourself and to a trusted friend.
serving our world
Then ask them about theirs!
takeaway
Let your light shine.