Joy is the vibrancy of life. If joy were visible, it would be the color of life. Joy changes life from being monochromatic, black and white, to a kaleidoscope of light. It is my prayer that God will fill each of us with Joy.
But I know, at least in my own life, joy gets compromised by stress, anxiety, attitude, or frustration. Life is filled with successes and failures, intensity and laxity, rush and retreat. In the midst of this constant flux, I find myself asking an important question: how does a person maintain joy in their life, even with all its ups and downs. As I considered this question, I realized there are four conditions that maintain joy in our life.
HOPE. First, a joyful life is a life lived in hope. Amid all the inconsistencies just mentioned, one can only maintain a sense of joy if they have hope that present difficulties are themselves passing. As Abraham Lincoln told himself, “This, too, shall pass.” Amid a broken world, Jesus himself is our hope as he says, “Fear not, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
TRUST. Secondly, hope itself is based on trust. One who lives in hope recognizes that God is bigger than then the problems of the world. Remember, the God who created the world in six days, can help you deal with the pressures of today. If we have hope in God who is bigger than the world, then we can trust Him to deal with the challenges of our own. In other words, trust is the antidote of anxiety. This is why Jesus says,
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matt 1:28-30).
And, in like manner, St. Paul says,
“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7).
HUMILITY. Hope is the basis of trust. Trust is our reliance on God. But only the humble person is willing to rely on someone other than himself. Trust itself is an act of humility whereby we realize that we are not the sole master of our domain, nor are we a self-made Atlas who can carry the world on our shoulders. Rather, we are children of a heavenly Father who loves us dearly and wants us to rely on his strength and not on our own prowess. Not only that, but a humble person recognizes that there are limits to one’s influence and therefore learns a certain acceptance of inevitable problems. It is this acceptance that protects joy. A humble person becomes a joyful person because those problems are no longer a threat to oneself, nor attributed them to one’s own blame.
WISDOM. Wisdom is the ability to apply experience, knowledge, judgement, and life lessons to a particular situation under the influence of the Holy Spirit. So, a humble person is a wise person insofar as he realizes, we are not in control of the world around us. Rather, we are participators in a world that we did not create, in a mess that we did not make, and therefore cannot control every context or outcome that affects us or those whom we love. So, a wise and humble person can maintain joy with life-reminders, such as these:
- Don’t sweat the small stuff.
- Don’t take yourself so seriously.
- Don’t take offense at every little thing.
- And always remember: people are always more important than things are events. Focus on the person in front of you, even as you carry out what is needful and important.
Finally, a wise person does not think that today is automatically worse than former times. As Scripture says, “Say not: Why were former times better than they are now? For this is foolishness” (Ecc 7:10). Rather, remember what Jesus himself said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, sufficient for one day is its own evil.” A wise person knows that, just as yesterday had its own blessings and evil, so, too does today. Joy is looking through the challenges to focus on the blessings.
So, joy is the spontaneous response to hope, trust, humility, and wisdom. Seek and maintain these four things, and joy will follow. Joy is the vibrancy of life. If joy were visible, it would be the color of life. Joy changes life from being monochromatic, black and white, to a kaleidoscope of light. It is my prayer that God will fill each of us with Joy.
Father Jarrod Lies, Pastor