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In this episode of 'Joy in Every Step', Sarita Bernadette discusses the pressures of holiday expectations and the importance of human connection during this season. She emphasizes the need to focus on meaningful relationships, drawing on biblical examples of friendship and love. The conversation highlights how human connection can enhance mental health, foster joy, and deepen our spiritual lives. Sarita encourages listeners to prioritize time with loved ones and to find joy in the little moments together.
Takeaways
- It's okay to say no to some things this season.
- Human connection nourishes the brain and the body.
- Love is a command from the Lord.
- Strong relationships enhance longevity.
- Get yourself some friends who will give you life.
- Spend some time deepening your relationships with God.
- True worship involves unconditional love.
- There is much joy in human connection.
- Seek out those you love and spend time together.
- Our joy may be complete when we connect face-to-face.
Creators and Guests
What is Joy In Every Step?
Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the Word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you.
Whether you’re walking through the valley or dancing on the mountaintop, Sarita’s voice will guide you back to His promises — step by step.
Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy in Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful servant of the Lord, Sarita Bernadette. Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the Word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you. Whether you're walking through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy in Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi, I'm Sarita Bernadette and welcome back to another episode of Joy in Every Step. I'm glad you're here. So the holidays are in full swing. The day when believers around the world take time to honor the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is fast approaching. And in last week's episode we talked about how we plan to spend the next few weeks.
Sarita Bernadette:We acknowledge the pressure this time of year can bring. We mentioned the lofty lofty image created by media and social media over the years. You know the one. And if we're being honest, many of us have ascribed to the idea of that perfect Christmas surrounded by those we love in the perfect setting replete with the gifts of our dreams. We also acknowledge the fact that many of us have felt disappointed when the actual experience of the season doesn't quite turn out like we thought it would.
Sarita Bernadette:Very few of the things that pull our focus at this time of year have anything to do with honoring the coming of the Lord anyway. Right? So in light of all of that we reminded all the friends out there that it's okay to say no to some things this season. We agreed that we would trade in the jam packed schedules for some real quality time over the next few weeks. Let's shift our focus friends.
Sarita Bernadette:Let's shift our focus towards finding joy in the little things and the small moments. For the next few minutes I'd like to talk a bit more about one of the things we mentioned that stood out from that last episode. It makes this season so special and that is human connection. Time spent with those we care about. We were created to be in fellowship with the Father and in relationship with one another.
Sarita Bernadette:Psalm 133 opens with, How very good and pleasant it is when kindred or brothers live in unity together. It is well known that human connection nourishes the brain and the body and the spirit. It boosts the hormones that regulate our moods hormones like serotonin, the feel good chemical. Connecting to other humans is known to even reduce stress. You know that feeling you get when life starts lifing and you take time to meet up with a good friend or call them?
Sarita Bernadette:Ten minutes of chatting and the stress you felt is reduced or even gone. Human connection has been found to increase empathy even. The Bible tells us in John fifteen twelve, This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Love is a command from the Lord. We are to care for and about one another.
Sarita Bernadette:When we are engaged in activities that put love on display, we're fulfilling a command. Often we find meaning through our connection with others. Research shows relationships with family and friends fosters a sense of purpose and belonging. The support we receive helps us build resilience and even grit. Strong connections help reduce anxiety and increase self assurance.
Sarita Bernadette:First Thessalonians five and eleven: Therefore encourage one another and build up each other as indeed you are doing it. You are doing rather. Keep doing it, beloved. Encourage one another. Build one another up.
Sarita Bernadette:Yes, the Bible instructs us to do that. Let's spend some time doing that during the next few weeks. Let's be intentional. Beloved, strong relationships or living in community with others has been found to enhance longevity. Yes, positive social interactions support our general wellness and physical health and can increase our lifespan.
Sarita Bernadette:God created people to live together as families. Families care for and support one another, right? Some families are bound together by genetics, but some of the strongest bonds in the Bible are the ones where God unexpectedly connected the people. Think about that for a second. Take note of the people you have special connections with.
Sarita Bernadette:For believers, some of our most lasting and consistent relationships are the spiritual ones. Your spiritual family is one that God chooses for you. This is a family where we share a bond found in our mutual faith in God. A bond of faith is highlighted in many relationships in the Bible, and one such relationship is the one between Jesus, Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were close friends of Jesus.
Sarita Bernadette:They lived in a town called Bethany and their story can be found in some of the New Testament gospels. Now Bethany was more than just your average ancient town. It was a special place where Jesus shared deep intimate moments with his friends and performed several significant miracles. I won't list them all here. I'll highlight some of them in a moment.
Sarita Bernadette:But I do find it interesting that these events occurred in a place where there was human connection, where faith was made even stronger through the bond of friendship. Consider that as you listen for the next few minutes. What is the Lord waiting to usher into our lives through divine intervention and human connection? Jesus found comfort, support, safety, and even rest in this town called Bethany. In the home of his dear, dear friends he found solace.
Sarita Bernadette:So first, a story you may be familiar with. It's the raising of Lazarus. It's in John 11 verses one through six is where I'll start and then I'll go on. There's a man in Bethany who's ill, a friend of Jesus named Lazarus. He is the brother of Mary and Martha.
Sarita Bernadette:I'll pick up in verse three. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, Lord, he whom you love is ill. But when Jesus heard it he said, this illness does not lead to death rather it is for God's glory so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.' Verse five: Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. So the sisters send this message to their friend. They send for their friend.
Sarita Bernadette:They seek his support, but they also know that he can do miracles. They're aware of who he is. But we find out that Jesus delays going to Bethany until Lazarus has been dead for about four days. We also know that in verse 35 Jesus wept. He wept at the tomb.
Sarita Bernadette:Jesus crying at the death of his friend Lazarus lets us see the human connection on display here. He felt the grief of Mary and Martha. He showed compassion and empathy for their sorrow. That's a friend. As we read further, we discover the miracle that served as a significant sign before Jesus' own death.
Sarita Bernadette:John 11 verse 38: Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?
Sarita Bernadette:So they took away the stone and Jesus looked upward and said, Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here so that they may believe that you sent me. Verse 43: When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, Unbind him and let him go. Jesus raises Lazarus from the tomb.
Sarita Bernadette:He brings his friend back to life. Beloved, get yourself some friends who will give you life, spiritual life when you are in need. Friends who will speak life over you. Friends who will call you out of that grave. These same friends showed up again in this famous dinner visit that we see in Luke 10 verses 38 through 42.
Sarita Bernadette:It reads: Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat at Jesus' feet and listened to what he was saying. Verse 40: But Martha was distracted by her many tasks so she came to him and asked, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me. But the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed indeed only one.
Sarita Bernadette:Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her. The lesson here for this season, friends, is spend some time deepening your relationships with God and those he has placed in your life through your faith. Take the time, beloved. It's the better part. Then there's this next piece of their story, the anointing at Bethany as recorded in the book of John twelve:one-eight.
Sarita Bernadette:Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him. Verse three: Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Sarita Bernadette:But Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, the one who was about to betray him, said, Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the poor? Verse six: He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He kept the common purse and he used to steal what was put into it. Jesus said, Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.
Sarita Bernadette:You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. We learn about true worship through this part of their story. Mary is clear on who Jesus is and she honors him by washing his feet. She doesn't hold anything back in this moment. And the human peace involves unconditional love.
Sarita Bernadette:It's on full display here. Mary values her friend and her Lord and she is willing to sacrifice an expensive oil for him. Now, beloved, I'm not telling you to worship your friends. The Bible speaks about avoiding idolatry in any and all forms, and that includes anything or anyone, including friends, above God. However, we are encouraged to love one another, to love one another, and to value friendships.
Sarita Bernadette:There is much joy in human connection. I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with a relative that I met for the first time recently. And for me, it's been the highlight of this season thus far. It was wonderful to hear about how he'd grown up and where he went to college. And it was an honor to share what I knew about his grandfather, my uncle, who passed away before he was born.
Sarita Bernadette:It was all joy, beloved, all joy. In two John, chapter one, verse 12, rather, the Apostle John writes to a church and he says, Although I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk with you face to face so that our joy may be complete. Friends, I encourage you to seek out those that you love in this season and spend some time just being together. It's priceless.
Sarita Bernadette:You've been listening to Joy in Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy in Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org.
Sarita Bernadette:See you next time.