Advent – A Great Time to Choose JOY
This third week of Advent as we meditate on the coming of Immanuel, the week’s theme is JOY. In today’s post, we’ll investigate how to find JOY, even when life’s circumstances are not particularly pleasant. Thanks for taking time to join me …
With a bit of imagination, I fancy even the majestic eagle sings for joy!
… the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great JOY that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10 ESV)
The word “JOY” appears on several decorative items in our home during the season of Advent. As I considered this, I wondered if it’s because I oftentimes struggle with feeling JOY when life isn’t easy.
Feeling joyful during challenging circumstances seems contrary to good old common sense.
For me, dark days of winter trigger melancholy, and JOY doesn’t occur organically. When my body hurts because of chronic pain issues, JOY isn’t my first response. JOY feels illogical when relational discord rears its ugly head or when I helplessly watch loved ones who are hurting. JOY is obscured when I experience loss or grief or when I hear hateful rhetoric or watch terrifying or tragic news stories.
Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest, writer, and theologian said,
“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and
keep choosing it every day.”
Philippians is a Bible book to which I often return. When the apostle Paul wrote this letter to his friends in Phillipi, he languished in a Roman prison, facing an uncertain future. His circumstances were far from joyful. Yet, despite dire, difficult days, Paul kept choosing JOY. A couple of numbers give me a clue as to how he was able to do this. In his relatively short letter, Paul uses the words “JOY” or “REJOICE” an impressive 16 times, and he references JESUS more than a whopping 50 times!
How do I keep choosing JOY every day? I do so as Paul did by choosing JESUS over and over and over again.
In her excellent book, What if it’s Wonderful – Release Your Fears, Choose Joy, & Find the Courage to Celebrate by Nicole Zasowski, she says, “Joy is among the fruits of the Spirit we cannot manifest by our own efforts. It is the fruit of those who belong to Christ and have the Spirit of God inside them. (Galatians 5:22). It is our joy in [Jesus] that allows us to relish His gifts in our lives. Said differently, our earthly delight is rooted in the joy of [Jesus].” (p. 68)
So, despite the long dark days leading to the coming winter solstice; my bodily aches and pains; and worrisome circumstances—most of which I cannot control—I will commit to choosing JOY in JESUS every single day.
Blessings on a week filled with deep-seated JOY!
