Growing up in a Southern Baptist Church with flannel graphs I learned that the word JOY was an acronym for Jesus Others Yourself. I was taught at an early age to think of Jesus first, than other people and then myself the very last. Even the scriptures remind us to “think of others before yourself.” And no where in this blog am I saying NOT to think of yourself first and others second and Jesus last.
Webster’s Dictionary describes joy as, “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” Honestly I have mixed feelings about this definition because as it states it is the “emotion (feeling) evoked by well-being or success.” Does God desire us to be well-off or successful? Yes by all means he does. God does not want us poor and living in the dumps. However, people who are not “well-off” and are living pay-check to pay-check are some of the happiest and yet sometimes the most miserable people. What’s the balance here? Have people found joy in being well off and yet those who have nothing are they joyful?
Does God reward those with joy who have “Good fortune?” Good fortune to me sounds like winning the lottery or gambling. Does God honestly give those who desire to win the lottery or to gamble their life savings away joy? If it was the case then shoot I desire to win the 252 Million dollar North Carolina Powerball Lottery. If I don’t win it yet keep pouring in the money every night or every week when they release the numbers to the Lottery and its not my numbers do I still have joy or would I have some disappointment? Does joy sometimes equal disappointment?
Now the last part of this definition I totally agree with. When we find out what makes us come alive, as St. Iraneaus once said to the early church, we find joy. We find joy everywhere we go and whatever we are going through. There is great joy to give $25 a month to feed hungry children in Ethiopia. There is great joy in your children asking you about a relationship with Jesus. Yet there is also joy in barely scraping by.
I feel that there is a direct connection between joy and faith. I have faith that every month God is going to provide the necessary (whatever it is). And while he desires to come through for us we have to not sit and wait for God to act if we are not doing anything at all.
We all find joy in whatever comes our way, whether it be who wins the basketball game, how many lives are saved by feeding the poor at a soup kitchen. We even find joy in hard times. No one ever wants to admit it but even in hard times we find joy. When our grandparents pass away or when a 4 month old has to have an emergency surgery. Even in the crap, frustrations and disappointments of life joy lurks around the corner like your best friend. I’m reminded of a song that has the lyrics, “joy unspeakable.”
And that’s exactly what we need. Joy Unspeakable. No matter what we are facing in this world, economy slowing down, housing market crawling, health care reform which doesn’t really feel like a reform, to church wars over crazy ideals and other nonsensical jargon about traditionalism and worship. In the midst of it all we find joy. We must find joy. We must find joy in every circumstances and not let our circumstances define our joy or what makes us joyful.
Find joy today.
