One of the most obvious signs of human depravity is the struggle for satisfaction and joy. Even for people who have dedicated their lives to serving and knowing God, there is still a constant battle for peace. Even when you know the promises of God, your heart is still prone to devastation, fear, sadness, worry, and disbelief. This is because the lies of Satan are being constantly and cleverly whispered to our spirits--through the media, through our own sinfulness, through broken circumstances. It's so easy to lose the battle against the enemy when you are not filling your heart and mind with the truth with equal aggression. I so often forget Satan is continually and skillfully seeking to break my spirit. I fail to realize I have to choose--again and again, day after day, moment after moment--to embrace and surrender to a heavenly perspective.
Happiness is dependent on circumstances. Joy is dependent on perspective.
I think many Christians have an incomplete understanding of joy. It's common to view joy as a sort of "happiness on steroids" type thing, but when I really think about it, I feel sure that can't be true. It can't be that simple. Christians are called to have joy in the midst of suffering, but to simply be really happy in the midst of devastating circumstances isn't biblical. We know that Christ himself felt sadness intensely, and we certainly know he suffered greatly, throughout his life (through persecution and the weight of sadness for the earth's devastation) and finally on his last days (through physical torture, relational betrayal, etc). Christ did not endure these moments happily, but he did endure them joyfully. What does that really mean?
I believe joy is the power to persevere through difficult, even devastating, circumstances by desperately clinging to a heavenly perspective on life and the things of this world. Joy is inner peace and hope based upon complete belief in the promises and goodness of God. Joy is not needing happiness to feel satisfied and purposeful in this lifetime. Joy is the heart's way of worshiping God in the midst of discomfort, uncertainty, loss, and pain. Joy is not the denial of sadness but the continual worship and glorification of God in the midst of sadness, which is inevitable on this earth.
It's tempting to see joy as a gift laid upon us without need for effort on our part. There are so many instances where I have prayed for joy, asking for God to take away a certain sadness or pain. There have been so many times when I have desired joy as a solution to the sadness. I see now that this isn't exactly what joy is. Joy is not a numbing shot or laughing gas. Joy is the belief and trust that at the end of the operation, we will one day be united with God in perfect happiness. Every sadness we may feel is temporary. In fact, everything in this life is temporary. We are called to look forward to the day we are made perfect in our union with Christ. And we can rest assured that until then, in this life on earth, there are many moments of happiness to come. Moments of sadness are opportunities to develop joy, and moments of happiness (which are also inevitable) are opportunities to rejoice and thank God with ease.
In order to live my life to its full potential, and in order to find peace in my life in the midst of trouble, I must embrace joy. And in order to embrace joy, I must cling to a heavenly perspective--a perspective which views God as sovereign, with a perfect plan for my life, and with abundant blessings to pour upon me. And I can't just do this once. I must choose this perspective every day, even, and especially, when my days seem dark.
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