I Choose Joy

This year I have been learned to love Jesus more by exploring joy.

As I write, I’m sitting on my balcony. The temperature is 22°C / 72°F, the sky is an unbroken blue, and the sun is highlighting the bright red of my geraniums and the various shades of green in the trees along my street. Taking a deep breath, I easily feel joy welling up in my soul. But the Apostle Paul’s admonition to rejoice always reminds me that joy is a discipline, not an emotion hinged on circumstances.

For the past seven months, the Lord has been teaching me about joy, and while I have so much more to learn (practice, practice, practice), I want to share a shift in awareness that forms the bedrock of my exploration. No matter what the truth of my circumstances is, there is a deeper Truth. C.S. Lewis might say there is a “deeper magic” at work. When the fullness of the character of God forms the foundation of my life and becomes the background of my days, I experience the events and moments of my life differently.

Mike Mason says it better than I: “When joy is colored sad, it’s because in the midst of sadness it comprehends something greater. When joy is mixed with fear, it’s because it smells victory in the offing. When joy’s heart breaks, it’s because joy feels free and safe enough to embrace everything, even the feeling of falling to pieces.” 

The disciple of choosing joy centers on where I place my focus. Problems and disappointments easily expand to fill more of my heart and mind than I realize. By placing each problem or disappointment in the context of who God is, I find they take their proper shape. Personnel problems are hemmed in by his grace and wisdom, and financial concerns by his boundless provision. Even my grief shifts when it meets the comfort of One acquainted with grief. 

It may be that you, too, are enjoying sunshine and blue skies. But maybe you are bringing a sacrifice of praise, heavy on sacrifice with a side of wobbly praise. It may be that you can’t quite remember where you put your joy in the chaos of transition. Your joy may be mixed with fear or heartache or bone-weariness. Regardless, I bless you to taste and see how good the Lord is. I bless you with truer Truth and deeper magic. I bless you with an experience of the mystery of joy mixing with whatever other emotions you’re experiencing. I bless you as you focus on who God is and thereby choose joy.

Key Quotation

When the fullness of the character of God forms the foundation of my life and becomes the background of my days, I experience the events and moments of my life differently.

Question

What changes in focus can help you choose joy this week?

Jody Hovda, NOVO