Pursuing Joy
It seems appropriate to talk about joy after my last post about suffering as we are called to rejoice during our light momentary affliction (2 Corinthians 4:17). It may sound like an odd combination, but I think that's the beauty of Christian faith and joy – it is not dependent on circumstances. Instead, it comes from knowing the sovereignty of God and His unchanging nature. I am sure we all have experienced anger and disappointment at one point in our life because things don't go as planned or desired. Do you see how fragile it is to attempt to find happiness from things that we can't fully control?
Joy is not optional and is a command (Psalm 97:12), but it is for our own good and is not burdensome (1 John 5:3). That's why I think it's important to fight for joy as we go about our life everyday. Having said that, I sometimes find it hard to do that as I struggle with all sorts of distractions and multitasking. So I reached out to some of my friends and asked how they pursue joy in their everyday life. Check them out! I hope you will learn something out of it :)
Valerie T., Life EnthusiastSingapore
Every morning, as I pray, I will always ask for the Holy Spirit to help me find wisdom, joy, and peace throughout the day. Even though sometimes it could feel very generic and routine-like, the fact that I have the CHOICE to not think, react or even BE like the world, LIBERATES me. For me, this truth brings joy to-infinity-and-beyond! In the past, I used to approach life in a very serious way. But through time and victories over difficult experiences, I learned how to take life easy and make it as fun as possible for me. Besides, I have a Father in Heaven that likes to joke :D. So having Him in mind all the time, enjoying life with Him, and just talking to Him daily makes me feel ready to face anything, anytime. And, oh! Just the thought that God is super-seriously patient with a person like me, is ridiculous.
Nicolas, Bible Lover
Rootless Alien ResidentI don’t live my life pursuing joy. Looking into this question, the verb I use isn't “to pursue” but “to provide” and the object isn’t “joy” but “space”. I provide space for myself to be alert to God’s presence and work in my life. I provide this space daily, weekly, and every 4 months. Sometimes I need a bigger space and that would be what many people call “sabbatical [year].”
The daily
space can be used for prayer, Bible reading, singing, silence, etc. I have a
mental “menu book” from which I can easily draw on options of what to do in
that available space, just like going to a restaurant and choosing which
appetizer, main course, dessert I’d like – or sometimes I’d just go for a
simple salad and black coffee while I enjoy the moment. It helps that I don’t
have to come up with the menu on the spot, day by day.
The
weekly, 4-monthly, and incidental spaces build up on that daily habit – meaning
they’d probably be longer and may be pivotal. Rethinking the space itself and
revisit the menu, for example, would be some stuff I’d do during one of the
trimonthly / incidental spaces.
Joy would
then present itself as a gift from God.Lily Wang, Music Lover
Vancouver, Canada
I remember reading back when I was in a low point in my life that “the beauty of joy is that it is not dependant upon outside circumstances,
but rather from a stable knowledge within”; it does not change based upon what
you do, but rather on what He has already done. Whenever I am at a low point, I
remind myself that the joy of the Lord is one of the first things the Devil
tries to take away from you. It is vital that you hold a reminder of
perspective. I find it extremely helpful to constantly remind myself that I
have a reason to be joyful simply because of what Jesus has done on the cross.
Because of His sacrifice, we are now reconciled with God! There is nothing that
deserves more joy than simply remembering you are a child of God. That should
bring us infinite joy. The more you bring the perspective out of yourself and
to other things that Christ has done, the more reason you have to be joyful. It
also helps when I just try to listen to sermons or worships songs in my daily
commute or take a walk randomly and explore a bit of the unknown. Small changes
in a daily routine also give me small joy 😊Novia Lukman, Nature Lover
Jakarta, Indonesia
It all went back to when I was in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for college when I started becoming fascinated in marveling at the beauty of nature. My university was located on a mountain and next to a sea. Enjoying the sunrise and sunset easily became part of my daily routine. Rainbows are much more visible after the rain and sitting by the sea shore to listen to the sound of waves is a normal pastime activity. With all the challenges I had to face as an international student, I was able to find peace in enjoying the nature. I started falling in love with the creator of it – GOD! This realization reminded me that we are part of His beautiful creation and there is hope in Him, hope that there must be something good despite all our life struggles. More importantly, it is not just some hope; it is hope of an eternal life and God’s unchanging faithfulness! Knowing that there is hope in every season of life and journey changes my perspective of seeing and doing things. This gives me joy, a good feeling that naturally came out of my heart regardless of any circumstances. Finding joy through enjoying God’s creation points everything back to God, the source of joy. So, as for how I find joy in my everyday life, I like to draw myself close to Him through His Words. Sebastian Tansil, Chess Fanatic
Ottawa, Canada
To me, joy is knowing at the core of my identity that I'm living out who I am meant to be. In that way, who I am, where I find my value and how I experience joy are very related questions. I do not profess to have my entire life figured out, but my life experiences and convictions teach me that the greatest threat to my joy is when I choose to find my value from false sources. These false sources can take form of appearing successful to others, having a higher income, strong academic performance, physical comfort, and the admiration from friends and society. While those things offer momentary satisfaction, when I have chosen to set my identity on them, I experience the greatest enslavement to fear, competition, anxiety, and a compulsive or restless need to continually chase for more. Indeed, the greatest threat to my joy does not come from loss, pain, and discomfort.With that, I struggle daily to live in joy. What does that battle for joy look like? Every morning when I get up, a variety of voices and pressures invade my mind. I must choose to begin my day by listening to the voice of God's love for me in prayer. At night, after all the tensions of the day have been revealed to me, I must choose to surrender those things to God in prayer knowing He loves me. Throughout the day, when words and experiences from myself and others tell me that I'm unworthy, I must choose to submit those to the truth of God's love. When faced with discomfort and disappointment, I must choose to turn to that same voice of love with open honesty and with an open heart to receive joy and love from God even when it's hard.
As a Jesus follower, I've come to learn that when I choose to live my identity from the unconditional security that I'm loved by God and that there is nothing I can do to add or subtract to that, I experience GENUINE freedom. With freedom comes joy – joy in God who loves me even in the midst of the suffering of this world. With that, nothing brings me more joy than to extend that same love God has given me to the people around me.
Joy doesn't divide when others experience it; it only multiplies. This past year, I have been able to extend my limited experience and knowledge of God's love to international students on campus. Having strangers become friends and family is a true delight. They maybe have got something small from me, but I know for sure that I've received and learned a lot from them. To give of myself to God's love fully and experience freedom brings me joy. To help others experience that love is also joyful. I thank God for that awesome and wonderful privilege everyday. "So may the [love and joy] of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors." - Common Prayer
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Some main
takeaways from my friends’ approaches to finding joy:
- Set our identity in God because He is the true source of joy!
- We are children of God. What could be more awesome than that?!
- Be intentional in fighting for joy.
As I was writing this post, my bible
study group was going over Paul’s letter to the Philippians and I was left in
awe of his pure joy despite being in a jail! Man, if I were to be in a jail, I
think joyful is the last thing I would feel. But it really shows how his joy
came from having his eyes fixed in Christ! Philippians 1:21 (“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”) powerfully summarizes how he
experiences joy during suffering. It is my prayer that we all get to boldly
live for Him and receive the gift of joy!
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