walkthesame:Finding Joy Words by Johanna Loh The topic of joy is immensely broad. So many articles

walkthesame: Finding Joy Words by Johanna Loh The topic of joy is immensely broad. So many articles and books have been written, not to mention countless sermons preached about it. Yet, I meet and know of many Christians who struggle with keeping their joy. It is an elusive concept, easy to visualize in the head but at times hard to grasp in the heart. Interestingly, some of the most eye-opening perspectives I have had about joy have been from non-Christians. One episode was gleaned from a conversation with a Sikh man in his sixties. Tall and skinny, he possessed an observant glint coupled with a turban wrapped neatly around his head. From initially giving me some running advice, the topic of conversation turned to religion. I told him I was a Christian, and I got the most heart-warming response. “So you’re a Christian! That’s good! Remember to pray more. Thank God for everything. Wake up early to pray! I tell you, don’t worry about anything. Trust God and be happy!” His words stuck with me for a long while, as I had been feeling at that period like I was losing my joy and didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t a nice feeling as I was a generally optimistic person. I knew the theology regarding joy and understood it. But at that point in time, it seemed that my heart had gotten so callous and reserved. I was struggling with depressive phases that seemed to have no proper explanation. But upon hearing his words, something sparked inside of me. The other incident that taught me about joy was from a conversation with a security guard who patrols the residential area where I go for evening runs. He earns an average of $300 USD per month. He hasn’t been back to his home country for at least five years because he is unable to afford the air fare. However, he said something that has remained with me too for all this while.   “I see so many rich people drive past here and they are all frowning and down… I don’t want to be like that. I thank God for what I have and remember Him. Money can’t make you happy… I don’t have much, but I look to God and am happy.” It seems that what both men were referring to had more to do with the notion of joy rather than happiness. Something that goes beyond a temporary emotion, a state of mind that speaks of resting in God despite circumstances. As Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18*, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Logically speaking, it is impossible to be happy all the time. With the setbacks and pitfalls that will happen in life, we cannot be perpetually upbeat and carefree. It is hard to be jovial as we hear the news that a loved one has cancer. It is difficult to remain cheerful as we face the prospect of retrenchment, the hurt of failed relationships, personal struggles with fears and worries…  Going back to Paul’s words, we are not asked to be “happy” always but to “rejoice” always. A deep, steadfast and real joy is cultivated as we look continuously to the hope that we have in God, who is bigger than anything that life throws at us. It is an attitude of assurance that our heavenly Father truly cares for us as well as believing that nothing else matters as long as we have God. And in doing so, we can sincerely rejoice, pray and give thanks in everything, from the best to the worst of things. A deep, steadfast and real joy is cultivated as we look continuously to the hope that we have in God, who is bigger than anything that life throws at us. Psalm 23 is probably the most well-known psalm that David penned. Most of us know it well, if not by heart. The fourth verse of the psalm depicts David’s absolute trust in God and one could say, a constant joy.                “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) He never asked to be brought out of the valley. Instead, he declared confidently that he would not fear, because God was with him. A few psalms later he writes, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.” (Psalm 28:7) Historical research points to the fact that both psalms were most likely written during the period when Absalom, David’s own son rebelled and caused a civil war. The then King David was compelled to wage war against his own son. In such broken circumstances, David’s joy was found because his heart trusted in God. He had a solid assurance that God loved him along with the knowledge that God would walk beside him in the valley and come through for him in trying circumstances. And that is the reason for having joy. Joy can be found in the mountaintop experiences of our lives, but more often it is in the valleys that our joy is nurtured and flourishes accordingly. Why? Because God walks with us. In the words of a Sikh man, trust God – have joy. In the words of a security guard who would not amount to much by society’s standards, look to God - have joy. In the words of a troubled king, trust in God and be helped – have joy. *All verses quoted are from the NKJV Bible -- source link
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