Joy. Joy in your heart. In your mind and soul. If you have it, it lives in the deepest parts of you. Unlike happiness, it doesn’t bounce in and out of your life. It doesn’t depend on the day to day circumstances. The Bible says, “ The Joy of the Lord is your strength”. And one of the first things that Satan will attack is your joy. He knows that it is the spiritual and emotional fuel that we run on.
Did you know that Handel, the great composer, wrote the entire Messiah in three weeks? When we hear a choir sing the Hallelujah Chorus, we can be in awe that the music literally came to him in a flurry of notes, even as his eyesight was failing, and he was facing the threat of dying in a debtor’s prison. He was burdened by a mountain of ourstanding bills. Most of us wouldn’t feel much inspiration to “create” anything under financial or physical problems, when that is at the root of our stress.
Handel credits his masterpiece to one thing: JOY. He is quoted as saying that he felt he would “burst with joy” at what he was hearing in his mind and heart. Instead of dying, as he thought he would, he lived to see his oratorio become a cherished tradition and popular work of art. And more importantly, it succeeded in raising large sums of money for the poor and destitute.
In our simple lives of waking up, liviing our daily lives, taking care of our families, and reaching out to those around us who need us, we can find sparks of joy literally anywhere. We just have to intentionally be alert and willing to see what is in front of us. It seems that joy can stay alive in us when we simply look for the blessings even in the smallest things and places.
Joy stirred inside me this week as I saw two obituaries listed right on top of each other in a Southeastern Minnesota newspaper! My daughter-in-law, Heather, sent me the copy on my phone. As I read the short synopsis of each woman’s life, it was at the end of the articles that made me smile and realize that God works in mysterious, and yes, joyfilled ways. One stated that the service would be officiated by Father Tim Biren, and the other funeral with Pastor Mark Beerman presiding.
These two men grew up within three miles of each other with Iona addresses. They went to school together, and remain friends to this day. Now they both reside on the other side of the state, and minister to bodies of believers just 15-20 miles apart from each other at the Catholic church St. Charles, and at Arise Christian Church in Stockton, MN. As Heather shared with me, “Isn’t it amazing how God uses his people?” Even in burying, these two men brought comfort and instilled joy in the families involved.
Jesus said, “ These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11 Please note the words “remain in you”. So no matter what happens this year, don’t allow anyone or anything to steal your joy. Keep it alive…Joy in YOUR journey!
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