Joy to the World

Joy is an elusive shadow. It is not a tangible substance, but rather aura that seems to surround certain, people, experiences, or achievements. I long for it in the morning, strive for it in the day, and more often then I’d like sleep without it at night. So many things can cause joy. Just the other day while waking down the side walk I was overcome with the joy of skating across the concrete on a fresh sheet of Ice. I am often filled with joy as I have my first cup of coffee in the morning, see my family, or hear good news from a friend. These things, however, do not guarantee Joy. Often coffee can be boring, family can be painful, and friends good news can be received with stone faced indifference.

Here in the United States we are constantly manipulated by forces around us to seek Joy in what we do not have. Society tells us true joy lies in the materialism propounded by the barrage of advertisements around us, the American dream foisted upon us by our schools, true love as portrayed by Hollywood, and the fame that fuels the gossip machine. However none of these guarantee a life of Joy anymore then a cup of coffee or an icy sidewalk.

Joy is not something one reaches; it is something someone has. The new iPod does not provide a sustainable Joy; neither does a home, a spouse, or a legacy. Sustainable joy comes from inside rather then outside.

In my life the place in which I have found that joy which sticks with me through the hard times is not in the superfluous acquisition of what I do not have, but a deep love of my God, and a life lived with him. The love of God is beyond words, but even his love does not guarantee joy in my life. In Matthew 13 Jesus shows us an allegory of the message of God’s love reaching people in this story he is paralleled with a sower who throws seed around on many kinds of soil. Some receive it with Joy, but have hearts that allow it to take “root.” God wants into the deepest parts of your life. He doesn’t promise it will be easy or conventional, but he does promise to be with us and with God there is joy.

As the psalmist says: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11)