When my church first learned of an art school in Ukraine that needed support to purchase solar panels so that they did not have to rely on public utilities to supply energy, it seemed to me to be unrealistically hopeful. But a local former Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine believed it could happen and had the faith to help write grants and raise awareness among good-hearted, generous people to make it happen.
Last week several donors, including faithful members representing my church, gathered on Zoom to celebrate with the Ukrainian Art School faculty that the solar installation was complete.
It is difficult to describe what a gift this was not only to the children and devoted faculty in Ukraine who are striving for normalcy and an appreciation of beauty in a place that has been under attack for more than three years, but also to those who are supporting them. Their resilience, gratitude, and joy were a gift to those of us celebrating with them that day. It was to us a miracle that deepened our faith and renewed our hope in humanity.
Renewing hope
I am reminded of Mother Teresa, whose faith was tested by the ongoing poverty and suffering she experienced daily among those she served. She experienced what has been called a prolonged dark night of the soul, and yet practiced joy, gratitude, and resilience as a discipline.
Her resolve to continue her work, against the odds of great need and the emptiness she felt, has been a source of inspiration to many for years. When asked once why she did what she did by someone who was feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of need, she replied, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if the drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of the missing drop.”
It is the wisdom of so many through the years for those who may feel overwhelmed by the vast need in the world and the seemingly little that we can do about it. Accepting that we cannot do all things but we can do something, and realizing that doing what we can do helps not only those we support but also buoys our own spirit, is a strategy for living in the difficult days we are now facing.
What the poets say
I had a conversation with a dear friend this week who just attended her first conference as a newly graduated epidemiologist. She spoke of the hope and encouragement she felt from the conference as they openly discussed the challenges of doing research in these days.
She was empowered by learning of the innovative ways in which important research is continuing. And was particularly moved by the tone that was set for the conference by realizing that joy is an act of resistance.
The phrase, “joy is an act of resistance” was coined by Black poet, Toi Derricotte, in a poem about a pet fish titled, “The Telly Cycle.” The poem was published in 2011 in a book of poetry called, “The Undertaker’s Daughter,” and can be found at muse.jhu.edu. The phrase, “joy is an act of resistance” has revolutionized Black feminism and inspired many people and movements who recognize its intuitive wisdom.
In the fall of 2022, another award-winning poet, Ross Gay, published a book of essays titled “Inciting Joy.” Responding to criticism about how he as a Black man could write about joy and flowers at a time like this, he responded, “Sorrow doesn’t need any help; “I think sorrow’s gonna be just fine.”
Encouraging joy in our lives
Cultivating joy seems to me to be critical in these days when war is escalating in our world, and fear and distrust are growing. I think of the ways in which art, music, dance, and shared community have been the wellspring of survival in past times of humanity’s turmoil and, like these poets and others, encourage us all to find ways to enhance joy in our lives and in our universe.
In appreciation for my church’s gift to the solar panel project at the art school in Ukraine, a child painted a beautiful picture that we all treasure. It hangs outside my study to greet me each day. I am moved by the thoughtfulness and wisdom of the faculty at the art school.
It is our connectedness with each other across the miles and across the many differences we have that brings joy to us and to them. It is the caring and belonging. It is the beauty of art as an act of resistance to the sorrow. It occurs to me, I need to take this picture to our in-person worship this Sunday and give it to another member for a while who will then pass it on to another, to share the much-needed joy it brings.
Spirit of gratitude
Father Paul Murray OP, Professor of Spiritual Theology at the Angelicum University in Rome, writes, “What drew countless numbers of people to love and admire Mother Teresa, over many years, was the manifest joy which shone in her every gesture. But, in the light of revelations concerning her “darkness,” I think it is probably true to say that we find ourselves closer to her now than ever before.”
Her determination to keep walking along the path of faith despite her bewilderment and sense of despair encourages me to keep walking, and cultivating joy might be one important way to keep walking.
Cultivating joy is not about toxic positivity which ignores or minimizes negative emotions or experiences. It is about both acknowledging the difficulties of life and intentionally bringing a spirit of gratitude and wellbeing to each day.
There are many resources for learning how to practice joy in our lives, but a video I found particularly helpful online is a brilliant lecture by Dr. Thelma Bryant titled “Cultivating Joy as a Sacred Practice of Resistance.”
Her insistence that joy is not passive but intentional, that a morning ritual focused on joy is vital, and that we can train our eyes to see the small progress that is happening, are but three of the takeaways that seem most helpful to me in cultivating joy in my own life.
The faculty at the Ukrainian School, who purposefully held the Zoom Celebration of the solar panels on June 20, National World Refugee Day, and acknowledged the Ukrainian refugees for whom we pray, are remarkable people. We were humbled by their faith and gratitude and deeply moved by their joy. Joy is an act of resistance, and I pray we all will cultivate more joy in our lives.
The Rev. Candace McKibben is an ordained minister and pastor of Tallahassee Fellowship.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Joy is an act of resistance: Resilience renews hope in humanity | Candace McKibben
Reporting by Rev. Candace McKibben / Tallahassee Democrat
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