Defiant JoySample

Joy Beyond Happiness

As a child, I was taught that to be a good Christian I needed to always act happy. Even if my situation was stressful or sad, I was expected to pretend I was OK. You’ve probably encountered similar ideas. That philosophy leaves us feeling empty and alone—and has nothing to do with true joy.

God’s joy doesn’t deny reality. It’s not an opiate that numbs us to hardship. When Jesus endured the cross, he fixed his eyes on “the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). Despite his agony and grief, Jesus clung to the promise of a reality unseen. Joy and sorrow flowed together in the heart of our sinless Savior.

My friend, I am here to tell you that there is a joy available to you that transcends human happiness. It’s a joy that can only be found in God. A joy that doesn’t depend upon us, or our past, or how wise or good or positive we may try to be. An inexplicable joy that shines so brightly, its rays of hope pierce our darkest nights.

But if this deep and constant joy is accessible, why don’t we experience it? Up until a few years ago, I couldn’t say for sure I’d ever felt real joy. I had escaped an abusive childhood home and was happily married with three little girls, but joy was elusive. I remember sensing its presence at my wedding or when holding my newborn baby, but just as I’d reach out to embrace joy, it slipped away like the memory of a dream.

Have you ever felt the same? What hardships, losses, or troubles make joy feel unattainable to you?

Our own human frailty, fears, and traumas can blind us to the brilliance of God’s joy. False teachers in the church, worldly philosophies, and shallow spiritual platitudes stifle, cheapen, and distract us from the joy set before us, the joy Jesus defiantly anticipated even from the cross.

Joy isn’t something we can muster up. It’s not a job we can accomplish or a chore we can check off a to-do list. God isn’t a celestial snack machine who dispenses spiritual treats in exchange for the right amount of change. The Bible never says life works that way. And as we’re going to find out, that is very good news.

God, help me to experience your joy! Not a fake happiness, but a joy that is real even when my world is dark. Amen.