Joy, Joy, Joy - Count It All Joy!! (Part 2)

Previously, this series on "Joy, Joy, Joy..." provided an introduction, definitions and differences between joy and happiness. In this message, we will take a look at how joy might show up in our daily lives as well as the ways in which it connects us to each other.

Lyrically

Approaching this message, something that kept running through my mind were the many songs over the years, mostly secular and old school in nature, that speak about joy and/or happiness. One that comes to mind here is Jerry Butler’s, Are You Happy? The lyrics that I remember are, Are you happy? Tell me tell me do you know how it feels? Are you really happy – for real? Anita Baker sang, You Bring Me Joy! Anita was obviously describing her feelings for a new love. The song’s lyrics used the word joy in almost every stanza and the phrase – you bring me joy – multiple times. It clearly describes the ecstasy experienced in the early stages of a loving relationship. Anita’s obvious joy in the object of her affection does not compare with the joy our Lord has for his chosen people. His joy is everlasting and freely given. He delights in providing us with those things that we crave and that bring a special kind of pleasure to our lives. When we rejoice over His gifts, that brings Him joy. In both songs, the suggestion of joy is made about external circumstances that might make us happy within certain parameters of relationships. Again, these do not truly elicit a sense of His joy, but temporary happiness.

When thinking about joy versus happiness, I also was reminded of Al Green’s Love and Happiness. In his song, Al Green talked about how love can “make you do right, make you do wrong.” His lyrics described the bliss that I presume we all have felt, especially at the beginning, in personal, intimate relationships at some point in our lives. Gazing upon the object of our affection, we possibly felt that s/he could do no wrong. The thing is, at some point, this bliss oftentimes turns into anything but love and happiness. Just take a look at an episode of Snapped and you will see how dramatically this state of euphoria can change to something much different. In some cases, the shift takes place over a relatively short period of time. What might cause this to happen? How does passionate love and happiness morph into sadness, animosity, revenge, and worse? Simply put, the source of these feelings is based on circumstances – physical attraction, a false sense of security, sensual gratification, the possibilities continue… We all know that circumstances are subject to change with the wind, if not sooner. The joy that comes from the Lord and is not based on the frivolous whims of our changing attitudes, feelings, perceptions, or circumstances. Joy gives us a solid foundation to raise our flag of total surrender. Happiness can be an elaborate disguise for a calamity waiting to happen. Happiness can be conditional, taking no prisoners. His joy is a fruit of the spirit referenced in Galatians 5, freely offered to us that we only need to receive. Fortunately, that’s not the end of the story. In order to flourish, joy needs to be cared for, nurtured, and cultivated. We will talk more on that later.

This is not to say that loving, intimate relationships do not or cannot ultimately work. We must have a healthy perspective going into any kind of long-term commitment with another person. We should have a level of joy inside of us that is a contract between us and the Father rather than seeking someone else to make us happy. We can only love others to the extent that we can love ourselves. Let us consider that we are made in the Creator’s own image, and we know that God is love. If we follow the Spirit’s leading, we will be able to love ourselves and others. This should give us reason to be filled with awe and joy!

Importance

How joy flows out of self and connects us with each other. What memories from childhood elicit feelings of joy for you now, many years later? There could be many memories of summer fun, family vacations, a carefree time in life. When looking back on these childhood memories, you can almost feel the warm air blowing on your face, riding along – going who knows where with the windows down (many of us did not experience AC in cars when we were kids – passing landmarks along the scenic route, hearing the music on the radio or in later years, on the 8-track! There were stops along the way and you would be bursting at the seams for a cold drink or a hot dog. If your trips were anything like the ones I traveled on, you probably ate the chicken that your mother fried and wrapped in foil before taking off on your trip. It did not matter. As a kid, your focus was just being in the car and heading out on an adventure. The excitement and anticipation of what might lie ahead was joy indeed! In that moment, you were happy. You had no idea of the logistical issues that had to take place in the background to make this trip possible. They were not your concern. Now that you are an adult, you might realize that mom and dad were not necessarily happy. They put on a happy face for your sake. That’s what parents do. Could it be that being happy or not, seeing your excitement in that moment was the inspiration that drove them on and allowed them to joyfully smile through their challenges? Thankfully, you were totally oblivious of any trouble brewing, you were in your own world that was totally independent of any behind-the-scenes stresses and whatever else the grownups were up to. That’s how joy works. It is not dependent on what’s going on around you at the moment. It is able to exist and flourish in any environment. We only have to receive and nurture it.

Joy allows us to see others in a different light. If I am joyful, my soul is at peace on some level. I am functioning within the grace given to me by the Spirit rather than the dictates of the world. When viewing others through the lens of joy, we are more accepting of them. We are able to show others the grace and mercy that is shown to us. We become less critical and judgmental. We can have more meaningful, stable, relationships because our focus and our needs have been adjusted. We are no longer looking for someone else to do the work inside of us that will bring us the peace that we need. We are no longer looking for someone else to add to our shortcomings. We know that whatever we possess and whatever we have to give comes from our Source who wants the best for us. When we see others live their lives within the realm of joy, it makes us want the peace and grounded spiritual maturity they have. We are awed by their relative ease to move through life, no matter what the circumstances. Within the presence of joy, we can openly and authentically invite others into our space, our life, our world.

Happiness, on the other hand, is the response to that thing that temporarily works out to our good as we see it. That thing could be the excitement that we feel in response to moving into a new house, you finally get the car, relationship or marriage, or the dream job you always wanted. Joy generally is felt with the arrival of a newborn baby, the culmination of all things coming together to successfully start a new business, the list goes on and on. These are the kinds of things that we want to tell other people about. We would be on the phone, posting updates on social media, constantly smiling and just in an awesome mood. Life is absolutely great! Then, the real world sticks a pin in our happy balloon. The mortgage becomes due around the same time that you are told that your company will be making staff reductions. You’re in a new relationship with somebody who woke up one day with two heads and you are in no way familiar with head number two. You become obsessed with how you might escape from this stranger who is nothing like the person you met a few months (weeks?) ago. Your newborn baby is totally oblivious of the nuances between day and night. You’re up all night, trying to share the responsibilities of taking care of a newborn and end up going to work grouchy, rest broken, scheduled to make a presentation (you were barely able to get it finished) with bloodshot eyes trying to keep a low profile and hoping your name is not on the staff reduction list. Thanks to the pandemic, you are facing an interruption, if not an end, to your entrepreneurial dreams. Added to the frustration of a dwindling customer base and not being able to afford the overhead, your efforts to secure government relief were unsuccessful. Are we still happy?

Worldly pursuits, like financial wealth, are futility. When this becomes your master, no matter how much you have, it is never enough. The thought of more weighs heavily on your mind – how can you make more money? What devices must you use to overtake your competition? Why aren’t there more hours in the day to carry out yet another scheme to get ahead? Like other things in life, it becomes an obsession that sucks all the life – along with the joy – right out of you. The last thing you want to hear about is some happy go lucky moron who is getting in the way of your path to mo’ money! I’m using the example of money, but there are other pursuits that are equally futile and can be a bottomless pit. Falling down that hole, one thing you won’t experience is joy. As enticing as some of the pleasures and the treasures of this world might be, they cannot bring us the kind of joy that is given by the Father.

This might be a good place to take a bit of a breather until we “meet” again. Our next installment will continue addressing the importance of joy and its connectedness to self and God. This message also will touch on how we can develop joy as well as the challenges we may possibly face.

Prayer

Our Father, our God. We thank you for every opportunity to commune with you. We have a desire and capacity to grow closer to you through the hearing and reading of your word. For this, we thank you. We continue to be amazed by the simplicity of life, especially in seeing your joy in everyday circumstances. Help us to choose joy over everything that might separate us from you. We ask that you walk with us and talk with us to help us be pleasing in your sight. In the name of Jesus, we do pray. Amen.