Poured Out: Joy

Is joy the same as happiness? Well, the two are similar, but not quite the same thing, because we can still have joy even when we aren’t very happy. For example, James writes in the New Testament, “Think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy” (James 1:2). Here, he stretches our faith: the challenges we face may not be moments of happiness, but they can still bring about joy.

I was working one time as a hospital chaplain, when I found myself with a woman who was by her mother’s bedside during her final moments. In the quietness of the wee hours of the night, the woman asked me a question that may have occurred to some of you: “Is it OK to pray for my mother to pass on?” As her mother’s health deteriorated, death offered a welcome end to the suffering. Despite the pain of her own impending loss, the woman’s faith brought joy about her mother’s future.

Our happiness depends on whether or not our circumstances are favorable, but joy remains even in the midst of suffering. More than anything else, our source of joy is our confidence and hope in God. We receive joy when we orient our heart around our faith that God is ultimately in control of our circumstances.

Make this Lenten season an opportunity to seek joy, despite your circumstances. In the next 24 hours, how will you choose joy?

Blessings,
Pastor Paul Cook