Finding Joy in “I Love You”
/by Dr. Jonathan Palant
I have really grown to love our family walks. The nearly three-mile route takes us through the neighborhood, around an elementary school, and back through a community park. Our kids, now seven and three, chase each other, race, and look for treasure under trees and on sidewalks. Last week, something happened on our walk that has had me thinking about the many lessons I’ve learned serving KPUMC these last ten years.
About 15 minutes into our walk, a mail truck pulled up and the postman jumped out. Noah, our precocious seven-year-old, walked right up to him and said, “My name is Noah. What’s your name?”
“Martín.” He said with a thick foreign accent.
Some talk ensued and Noah ended the conversation with an earnest, “I love you.”
As we walked away, I began to explain to Noah why this salutation is reserved for family members and those friends we consider to be our family of choice. As I was saying it, though, I started to question what I was teaching my son. I am certain I’ve heard more than one KPUMC senior pastor preach on the topic of ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’ and the passage does appear in both the Old and New Testament, but I began to wonder why we are instructed to “love thy neighbor” yet saying so aloud feels awkward and borders on inappropriate.
My assignment this week was to write a newsletter article on the topic of joy, and my inclination was to write how joy, much like fun, is a concept hard to define and even harder to predict and impart on others. To be honest, it wasn’t until Noah so carelessly and freely pronounced his love for the postman did I understand that joy cannot be programmed or imparted, but is instead something that happens organically and comes both when you expect it and also when you least expect it. Joy surfaces when a rainbow appears, when a favorite song comes on the radio, when a cherished memory emerges, and when a three-year-old princess-mermaid-unicorn named Caroline (my daughter) giggles uncontrollably.
All of these things bring me great joy, but they also bring me great hope. So, I wonder if joy and hope are synonymous in some way and, if so, if Noah’s innocent “I love you” to the postman might just be a sign that a new generation of those willing to love more generously is coming.
That would be joyous, indeed.