Delight? Beach, Bikes, Balloons

“So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

-John 10:7-10

“The good old days” are often only recognized in hindsight. It is a rare gift to recognize when you are living them in the moment.

Last Monday, my family went on a bike ride around St. Simons. Rachael led the way with Henry in a bike seat behind her. He can ride with training wheels, but he is slower than molasses in February, so we put him in the seat on longer rides. Iris followed on a bike that is just a bit too tall, which made each dismount feel like a minor act of courage. I brought up the rear.

We rode under a canopy of Spanish moss hanging from the live oaks that lined the street, making our way to a small public park where people meandered with their dogs along a disc golf course. I made a mental note to bring my discs next time. Eventually, we turned around to head back to the Epworth campus for the St. Andrew water balloon launch and dance party (ask a friend).

As we rode back, Iris wove her bike back and forth and said between giggles, “Today is my favorite.”

I knew then that these are the good old days.

Faith can be heavy at times. We are called to enter into the suffering of others. We are called to speak out on behalf of the outcast and the abused. We are called to honest self-assessment and regular repentance. These things are necessary, and they can be difficult.

But faith is not meant to be a dour observance. Jesus does not say, “I came that they may have life and learn to endure it.” He says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

That abundant life does not mean a life free from pain or responsibility. It does not mean everything will be easy or that every day will feel like a bike ride under Spanish moss. But it does mean that faith touches the totality of our lives. We were made to do hard things, but we were also made for joy. We were made for laughter, play, beauty, friendship, music, sunsets, water balloons, and children who find delight on the back of a bicycle.

And delight is not shallow. Delight can be holy. Delight can be faithful. Delight can even be a powerfully subversive witness to the gospel in a world that seems to profit from anger and division. To receive joy with gratitude is a kind of worship. Joy declares that the thieves and bandits do not get the final word. The forces that steal and kill and destroy do not define reality. Christ does.

So when we find ourselves in one of those rare moments when we know, even as we are living it, that this is a gift, we should pay attention. We should receive it. We should let it become prayer.

The bike ride. The moss in the trees. The water balloon launch. The dance party. The sunset over the water. The child saying, “Today is my favorite.”

These are  glimpses of the abundant life Christ came to give.

Rev. Ryan Young