Universal Principles to Ponder: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love

During the holiday season, I often think back to a tradition both sets of my grandparents celebrated. Even though they came from completely different faith traditions, each of their churches celebrated Advent with a wreath and four tall candles on display.

The word advent means arrival, which is appropriate for this time of the year as many look forward to the arrival of special things. This includes family and friends visiting, watching a cherished holiday movie or anticipating the promise of a new year. It can also include the joyous lighting of the menorah, the celebration of Kwanzaa or the birth of a baby in a stable.

The aspect of Advent I appreciate is its focus on four key areas: Hope, peace, joy, and love. Regardless of your faith tradition, or if do not have a faith tradition, I encourage you to make room in your life for quiet reflection on each of these universal principles:

Hope

I like that the first week of the Advent season focuses on hope because I believe it is something so many of us need, particularly in the face of mounting pressures and challenges. I recently read a statement that “hope is the anchor of the soul.” I love the analogy of the anchor because if we’re honest, we all face rough waters at times and feel as if we are battered about. Hope is the anchor that can encourage the belief that tomorrow will be better than today, coupled with the idea that you can make it so by persevering and relying on others for help. While it is not always the case that everything works out exactly how we hoped, research shows hopefulness does lead to greater life satisfaction. (Dane Jensen, Sustaining Hope in Uncertain Times, HBR, March 15, 2022).

Peace

 We all see daily headlines about the tragic conflicts around the globe and within our country. In some cases, we might have to deal with conflict regularly at work. In some of our families, the holidays can bring increasing conflict to your own home. My hope for you is that you can find some solace and peace as you reflect with gratitude for all the good things in your life, including family, friends, neighbors and colleagues.

Joy

I have shared previously that over the past 12 years, one of the greatest joys of my week is working with special needs students. Over the past six months, I have filled in teaching a class for our special needs adults. Most of them have jobs at grocery stores or coffee shops and all of them are inspiring to be around. When I asked for their definition of “joy,” they immediately mentioned “happiness” and “laughter.” This led to a lot of joking and ribbing each other, which they routinely do. Since one of the adults had on a sweater from the movie Elf, I may or may not have gotten the class replicating the dance scene in the movie where Buddy works in the basement mail room of his father’s building (“Whoomp, there it is!”). I am committed to making sure that there is a lot of joy and laughter in every interaction with family, friends and colleagues, not just during the holidays but all year long.

Love

I recently had the opportunity to meet Bruce Deel, who is the founder of City of Refuge, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization that helps individuals and families transition out of crisis. I also read his book Trust First. He makes an amazing statement about love I cannot get out of my mind: “Love arises naturally when you’re committed, daily, to finding and believing in the best of people.” I believe this is a beautiful approach to each person we interact with. It is the type of love that shows kindness and compassion for each other. It is love more focused on serving and caring for others. It is love that appreciates and celebrates belonging, inclusion and community.

I know many of you face challenges all year long, both professionally and personally. My prayer for each of you is you will make room to reflect and experience a measure of hope, peace, joy, and love in your life.