Constant Joy.
Beautiful days, fall colors, sunshine, chocolate, pumpkin spice lattes, driving with the windows down, surprises. All of those things make me happy. But they could never make me joyful. Joy reaches far deeper places of the heart than any of those, no matter how good they are.
That is what has been on my heart lately. Joy. Pure, complete, can't-take-it-away joy. The kind that can only come from our everlasting Father. I have become aware of this in times when I am not completely happy with life or I am just going through a season of waiting, refining, and sometimes frustration, but in spite of all that at the end of the day I find myself still filled with joy. I started thinking about that and just how mind-blowing that concept is that you can have an inner peace and joy in your heart no matter what is going on in your life. No matter what happens due to outward circumstances, you can still have joy in Christ! It is so amazing that we serve a God like that. I have joy in Christ that He loves me, He took a punishment I rightly deserved, was raised to life and gave me the Holy Spirit to live inside of me. Plus, he gives me even more blessings far beyond what I deserve. How could I not be joyful?
I desperately wish I could have the attitude that they did more often. I tried to take this perspective back with me, but it is so easy to get distracted.
Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My heart and my flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. -Psalm 73:25-26
That is what has been on my heart lately. Joy. Pure, complete, can't-take-it-away joy. The kind that can only come from our everlasting Father. I have become aware of this in times when I am not completely happy with life or I am just going through a season of waiting, refining, and sometimes frustration, but in spite of all that at the end of the day I find myself still filled with joy. I started thinking about that and just how mind-blowing that concept is that you can have an inner peace and joy in your heart no matter what is going on in your life. No matter what happens due to outward circumstances, you can still have joy in Christ! It is so amazing that we serve a God like that. I have joy in Christ that He loves me, He took a punishment I rightly deserved, was raised to life and gave me the Holy Spirit to live inside of me. Plus, he gives me even more blessings far beyond what I deserve. How could I not be joyful?
Kenyans seem to grasp this concept easily. I had the opportunity to go to Kenya this summer (which was amazing and I will probably write more about it later) but I thin
k this is where I fully grasped the concept of people having TRUE joy. The first day in Kisumu we went to a church to feed some of the kids that attend. We had already seen a little bit of Kisumu already and were right across the street from the slum where the kids would be coming from. And by that I mean makeshift buildings made of aluminum and wood, held together by dirt, and trash-covered paths. How can people live like that? I thought. But that normal life for them. This was my first time out of America, so besides documentaries and stories from friends, I didn't really know what to expect. I thought I might be sad when the kids arrived, imagining the conditions in which they lived, so I tried to prepare myself. However, when the hungry, barefoot kids wearing tattered clothes came streaming through the door ready to eat probably their only meal of the day and to see some "m
zungus" (white people), there was not a grim face on any one of the kids. They had the biggest smiles I have ever seen on anyone ever. The smiles didn't go away throughout the day as they ate and we shared Bible stories and songs, and taught them how to play duck-duck goose (at which they beat us terribly...I think I was in the stew pot for a good ten minutes because those Kenyans can RUN!) They were thrilled with absolutely anything, especially having their picture taken with our digital cameras. This attitude of joy mimicked that of many of the adults we met throughout the week. As we talked and played with the kids, I realized that what they were displaying was not happiness, it was joy. Happiness is dependent on circumstances in life, but joy is not dependent on anything but the grace of God. Those kids have joy because they know who their Creator is.
k this is where I fully grasped the concept of people having TRUE joy. The first day in Kisumu we went to a church to feed some of the kids that attend. We had already seen a little bit of Kisumu already and were right across the street from the slum where the kids would be coming from. And by that I mean makeshift buildings made of aluminum and wood, held together by dirt, and trash-covered paths. How can people live like that? I thought. But that normal life for them. This was my first time out of America, so besides documentaries and stories from friends, I didn't really know what to expect. I thought I might be sad when the kids arrived, imagining the conditions in which they lived, so I tried to prepare myself. However, when the hungry, barefoot kids wearing tattered clothes came streaming through the door ready to eat probably their only meal of the day and to see some "m
zungus" (white people), there was not a grim face on any one of the kids. They had the biggest smiles I have ever seen on anyone ever. The smiles didn't go away throughout the day as they ate and we shared Bible stories and songs, and taught them how to play duck-duck goose (at which they beat us terribly...I think I was in the stew pot for a good ten minutes because those Kenyans can RUN!) They were thrilled with absolutely anything, especially having their picture taken with our digital cameras. This attitude of joy mimicked that of many of the adults we met throughout the week. As we talked and played with the kids, I realized that what they were displaying was not happiness, it was joy. Happiness is dependent on circumstances in life, but joy is not dependent on anything but the grace of God. Those kids have joy because they know who their Creator is.I desperately wish I could have the attitude that they did more often. I tried to take this perspective back with me, but it is so easy to get distracted.
This experience really changed my outlook on life and made me realize what truly matters. Everything you try to fill your life with to make it joyful will fail you. Material possessions come up short, and people even fail you at times. You might get some instant gratification or even happiness, but it will never, ever completely fulfill the deepest parts of your heart to give you joy and peace. Only Christ can and nothing else. Knowing who you are in Christ and experiencing the love he has for you is the only thing that can bring true joy.
Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My heart and my flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. -Psalm 73:25-26
This post is great :) It's nice to be reminded of the lessons we learned in Kenya because I get distracted easily too.... We've got to get back on Kenyan Time!
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to view the relationship between simplicity and our joy compared to others. I think there is some truth behind 'we're just too busy and overwhelmed the majority of the time'. I don't have a fix for it, but I enjoyed reading this. It's always interesting to me how different we are from so much of the world. So far the Kenyans have two things on us, joy and run speed :P
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments y'all! I agree Jenna, ahhh Kenyan time...I need more of that in my life! :) And Mike, that is interesting and true. The simpler your life is, the less you have to be busy and overwhelmed with, and you realize what you have rather than dwelling on what you don't. There is something to be said for both I guess, but that is a good point. P.S. Now that I know you have a blog, I'm gonna follow you.
ReplyDeleteLOVE Psalm 73:25-26!!! My prayer is for vs 25 to be 100% true every day of my life.
ReplyDelete