“This is the greatest act of power I have come to know: To be an activist of joy; a beacon of grace; a radiance of love.” Nell Aurelia

At the Juneau Unitarian Universalist Fellowship our worship services are based on a monthly theme. April’s theme is “Living Love Through the Practice of Joy.”

As a member of the services committee I was initially stumped by this theme. Joy? How to access this emotion in our current political climate? It almost induces feelings of guilt to express joy when so many of our family, friends, neighbors, and people worldwide are living in fear for a myriad of reasons. Our environment of late is reminiscent of living through the COVID pandemic. Things are unpredictable, changing daily. It is difficult to stay informed because trust is a major issue. Misinformation and blatant lies bombard us daily. Sorting through conflicting “facts” is a difficult challenge that has many of us retreating to isolating ourselves as we did during COVID.

Isolation exacerbates the problems. We need each other to make it through these painful times, but how to do that? Ah, now I get it: Living Love Through the Practice of Joy. In 2018 the British rock band, Idles, released an album titled “Joy as an Act of Resistance.” Brilliant! Living love through the practice of joy, which is an act of resistance, meaning love resists. How does this translate to an everyday practice of sharing joy?

To begin, I return to 2020 when I tried to employ daily strategies to help keep me afloat. Mindful living was the mantra. What brought me joy then? Fresh flowers for the house; trying new recipes; walking in the Tongass; mailing notes and postcards to let folks know that they were being thought of and appreciated; making time to be creative; being a frequent flier at the library. Now, the challenge is, as described by Nell Aurelia, to be an activist of joy and employ the strategies I used in 2020 and extend them out into my community.

Mindful living is still the mantra. It is necessary for me to pay attention and respond (not react, as I am prone to do) in a loving manner. Folks are scared and wounded. The least I can do is open a door, extend a hand, notice a name tag and use the person’s name to say thank you. It’s not a clap my hands, jump up and down joy when the cashier smiles after I compliment her earrings, but we both get a small nudge of joy. It’s the little things that make a difference. A joy shared is a joy multiplied.

The bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Association state: “We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.” The way I see it is that to follow through with the discipline of Love I must be an activist of joy (among other things) and resist negativity, apathy, isolation, and cruelty. I need, no, we all need to take inventory and determine how to best live love through the practice of joy and do it. The motivation to do so will be slim on any given day. All the more reason to take in a deep breath and make a plan to share a joy and then see it through.

If you are interested in learning more about the UUA bylaw and how, in these challenging and uncertain times, do we live into and embody the spiritual discipline of love, then please join the Juneau Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (www.juuf.org) this Sunday, April 13, at 10:30. Our guest minister, Rev. Natalie Malter, will guide us in exploring these questions together.

• Pat McLear is a lay leader with the Juneau Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. “Living and Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Friday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page.