The Truth About Today
- Feb 26, 2018
- 5 min read
My darling husband asks me daily "Are you happy?" in his sweet, caring way. I find that my happiness can take on the qualities of a paper bag playing with the wind. One moment I'm flying high and another I can feel like I got stuck in the branches of some tree. My soul works hard day to day to be consistent. I want to be happy. But, even more, I don't like fake. I want real. So, I'm real with my hubby about how I feel. It's good. It's life. I like to believe I am a 'happy' person. But I desire something deeper, something that is unshakeable, unbreakable, something that cannot be toss like trash in the wind. I want joy.
Joy. BIG topic. Ladies and gents, I struggle with this word - the actual meaning of this word. Our culture uses joy to label a state of being, motivated and controlled by external factors. But actually, joy is not emotional and soul driven as it is eternal and spirit driven.
Two quotes that give me fresh perspective on joy are “joy is the currency of Heaven” (Bill Johnson, Bethel Church) and “joy is the serious business of Heaven” (C.S. Lewis). Both quotes sprout from the over 214 uses of the word joy in the Bible (NIV version) and all reflect a state of being that cannot be experienced without understanding where you have come from and where you are going; ‘consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3, NIV).
It is no mistake that the most beautiful, expensive, strong, and rare things in life were forged in fire, born through adversity, created in the secret place, and have endured trial, pressure, battle, struggle, pain, darkness, and death.
I can picture the lame man who one day begged outside the temple courts in Jerusalem and the next ran like a wild man jumping and leaping and praising God (Acts 3:8).
I can imagine the continually presence of joy on the disciple’s faces as they traversed hills of acceptance and valleys of persecution, spreading the news of Christ’s resurrection (Acts 13:52).
I have looked into pale grey eyes that have witnessed unspeakable pain and loss and yet, shine with a fierce, daily determination to consciously choose to live life in joy and not anger.
Joy is not a worldly state of being. I do believe you can experience joy and not know Jesus, because eternity ticks within the hearts of every man (Ecc. 3:11). But, true joy needs to be distinguished from happiness and pleasure. In his book, Surprised by Joy, Lewis continues the journey of exposing joy for what it truly is: “Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with [happiness and pleasure]; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again... I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But then Joy is never in our power and Pleasure often is.”
Joy comes from the throne room of the Father who, indeed, created us to experience His joy every single day; ‘rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice!’ (Phil. 4:4) and to know the richness and depth of His heart. In essence, joy is the spirit shouting to the Father 'I want to be with You!' Joy truly comes, not from our circumstances – good or bad, and not from our will, but from the presence of Jesus; ‘surely You have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of Your presence’ (Psalm 21:6).
In a world that celebrates celebrity, money, and success, it is too easy to lose focus on what brings joy. The Psalmist writes it so well in chapter 21 – victories are good, glory is sweet, and splendour and majesty are awesome, but I truly find joy when I hang out with God. And from this place of being with the Father and being in His joy everlasting, is the reflection of true joy that is infectious and inspiring. God comes first in the equation and then follows this deep connection with God and joy, and from which joy is radiated and light is projected (Matthew 5:14).
Joy is an endless experience that is very intentional. If you read last weeks post "The Truth About Yesterday", I spoke about 'tomorrow, I choose love'. Well, today, I choose joy. I know it's the lingo seen time and time again in pinterested, crafty-cute painted signs, but man the TRUTH of 'today, I choose joy' is so tough to put into practice.
Joy is the fruit of the spirit and follows immediately after love – thus if I choose to love yesterday, then today – right now – I walk into the joy set before me by Love. Joy is a serious business, not temporal or trivial. Joy comes gliding into the room and it changes the atmosphere from doom and gloom to a room that gushes life, revival, passion, and excitement. Joy revitalizes time. Joy engages brokenness and refocuses eyes that are stuck on loss to eyes that are filled with a deep desire for more.
Joy is a choice, deliberately made by those who are aware that it is free. Joy is a choice, consciously welcomed to flow through the deepest trenches and the loneliest of spaces. Joy is a byproduct of love that invites the understanding and truth that regardless of what I am going through and what is to come, I will not become a slave to sorrow, to fear, to pain.
Yes, the trials and tribulations come like waves both foreseen and unexpected, but when they crash into this heart, upon the shores of this mind, I will not be shaken, I will not be moved. Instead, I will embrace the joy that God is love and I am His child.
So, today, I choose joy.
- AKS xox
3 Ways I Practice Choosing Joy
1. Wake up and spend time with Jesus. I sometimes don't even get out of bed (confession) to take five minutes or whatever and direct my attention to Him. Joy comes from within and from Him. Put on a worship song or open your Bible and read a passage of scripture and worship Him.
2. Go for a walk. I LOVE getting out in nature and I feel so refreshed to look at His creation. It refocuses my heart and gets me moving!
3. Forgive yourself quickly. Don't let things linger. I like to deal with oops's and ughs as soon as I can and let them go. Learn from them, yes, but don't allow the little slip-ups you make to add up inside of you. Finish your day with thanksgiving and self-forgiveness.
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