JOY!

Monday's Encouragement for Living: JOY!

By Anthony Walker of Anthony's Desk

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11

What is joy?

Someone might say it is extreme happiness. Another might assert that joy is peace. I recently heard an articulate summation of joy as "exuberance personified through the Spirit". I've heard it once said from a non-singing friend of mine, "I can't sing, but I know good singing when I hear it." Maybe your definition of joy is like that statement. You may not be able to accurately describe joy, but you know joy when you feel it.

If we take the psychoanalytical approach, we would have to ask ourselves, "What comes to mind when we hear the word 'joy'. For me, as an artist and imaginative thinker, the first thing that comes to mind is the color yellow. Not sure why because I'm not that big of a yellow fan. But it's the first thing that comes to mind. But as I ruminate on it for a moment, joy embodies the calmness and coolness of a summer breeze, the serenity of the ocean water as it bellows on the shore, mixed with the relief that one feel's after a long journey's end, and the jubilation of a birthday celebration. Sounds like a smorgasbord of feelings, doesn't it?

While we may not be able to quantify it in words, Jesus reminds us that without him, our joy is incomplete. The joy that Jesus describes here is a gladness, serenity, and peace that we cannot experience without him. When we often think of joy, we often associate it with happy or happiness. The problem with that association is that the word 'happy' derives from the word 'hap' which means occurrence or happening. When we think about happiness in those terms, we often find it when something happens. Happy Birthday. Happy Holidays. A Happy event. Joy, however, is a state of being that doesn't come from a happening, so to speak, but comes from our abiding in Jesus. The difference is that if someone cries at a birthday party (especially their own), or a family argument breaks out on Thanksgiving, the 'happiness' disappears. But when we abide in Jesus, and he abides in us, his joy completes our joy.

This complete joy isn't captive to the happenings of life. Regardless life's ups and downs the joy remains. This joy is why the apostles "rejoiced" when they were being arrested and beaten for Christ's sake. (Acts 5:33-42) This joy is why Paul, while in prison, wrote some of the highest reaching spiritual literature.

If your life does not personify exuberance through the Spirit, then you must check to see if you are abiding, dwelling, living in Jesus.

These things I have written to YOU, that HIS joy may remain in YOU, and that YOUR JOY may be complete.