I grew up in a home with little laughter or joy. It was, in many ways, a scary place, and my mom and my siblings and I lived day to day, just trying to make it through. There was little to celebrate. I learned a lot of tough lessons, but I truly believe that the thing that saved us was the church. Not in a “are you born-again?” kind of way, although there’s nothing wrong with that, but in a “place of safety” kind of way. We found good, nice, mostly kind people willing to extend themselves to us. They often hung around for longer than was necessary, knowing that we needed something they could provide. These flawed, caring people saw a need, and they met it, and that willingness to extend God’s love to us impacted me for the rest of my life. I learned that no matter how difficult life is, there is also joy. Where is your joy?
I love to laugh, and I love to be serious – I love to read and play music and sing and wrestle and cook. I find joy in my wife and children – my friends and the people I meet just once – I find joy in helping people and being part of a faith community that tries to be a light in the darkness. I find joy in God. Where is your joy? What makes your soul sing? And what could add to that sense of fulfillment? There are, unfortunately, a lot of people in the world who think that joy is about making money or owning the most expensive stuff, and that is attained, too often, on the backs of other people. Jesus defines that as greed – idolatry – lust – selfishness. These folks might feel something akin to joy, but it is really the false promise of addiction. Joy is something different.
I find joy in being with other people, and I find joy in fishing alone. I find joy in prayer, and I find joy when I sing with a group. So many people I talk to are struggling with what they usually describe as a sense of foreboding – of pain and fear – of concern for people who have become targets of hateful forces. Hurting people to find your own joy is sadism – it is evil – it is ungodly. And while I love to succeed and win, living for the feelings that brings isn’t joy; it is as fleeting as wealth and power and control. Feeling great about someone else losing isn’t joy – it’s immaturity. If you are finding joy in all the wrong places, I hope you can change that. Finding joy makes life so much more fulfilling than living a life filled full of stuff. May today bring a little joy into your life and the lives of those you meet. Because joy makes the world a much better place.
Prayer – Holy God, life is full of struggle and joy – may we bring joy into someone else’s life today. Amen.
Today’s art is “Joy” by Madison Wilkerson.