Made For Joy

I watched the World Series this week. I'm not a big baseball fan. I enjoy watching a game now and then, but I didn't have a preference for who won the Championship and could tell you very little about the teams and players. My reason for watching didn't have much to do with baseball; It was about whom I watched the games with. My son is a huge sports fan, and he enjoys watching, so I enjoyed it with him.

As we were watching Game Five where a record number of home runs in the World Series were hit, something stood out to me: the joy of the stadium crowd. People were cheering loud, giving high-fives to everyone around them, and smiling in abundant measure. Fans celebrating is nothing new certainly, but with the abundance of runs being scored in one game, the crowd was electric with joy. It couldn't be contained. They were ecstatic.

This stood out to me for a couple of reasons. One because the game took place in Houston, a city that has suffered great devastation from Hurricane Harvey. I wondered how many people in the crowd had their homes flooded or suffered another loss in the storm. I also wondered how many were facing other hard times: illness, family strife, personal heartbreak... Every person there has a story, and yet for that night they were all celebrating together for a common love of baseball. A phrase came to mind as I was watching those fans and players:

We Are Made For Joy

We, as human beings, are made for joy. It doesn't matter who we are, where we live, what family we come from, what trials we've faced, or blessings we have; We are all made for joy. To see it, just watch a group of people in a sports arena from different walks of life, different races, different religions, different ages and genders cheering for the same big plays and winning team. If given the choice between thinking about their problems or living the joy of the moment, joy will win every time.

It's what led me to watch the game with my son. The game itself I could have easily missed in favor of watching a Hallmark movie or working on my latest book. But I knew I would enjoy watching the game with my son, so I did. We all make choices like that every day. Our motive for what we do often comes down to joy. We may not always look for it in the right places, but our initial hope in anything we choose to do is to experience joy. In this life we will experience sadness, grief, stress, disappointment, frustration, shame, despair...  

But we were made for joy.

There is no question we all want joy and seek joy. But how do we find it? Some ways are obvious, like choosing activities and friends to enjoy. We look for love, purpose, and success. These things generally bring joy but can also lead to heartbreak, failure, and dissatisfaction. What we wanted doesn't make us as happy as we thought it would, people let us down, and things don't always go the way we plan. 

My husband is a pastor, and one of his common sayings after having "one of those days" is, 'Ministry would be great if it wasn't for the people.' What does he mean by that? Serving God is great, serving people is great, the potential for joy in his job is great, and he strives to make the worship and other areas of his ministry great for everyone; but people don't always cooperate. They complain, they don't listen to guidance, they know the truth but don't make right choices, they have their own agendas. It's frustrating. It's exhausting. It steals his joy of doing what God has gifted him to do. If you have ever been involved in ministry, you can probably relate to that. If you have family members or friends you care about who sometimes say hurtful things or make poor choices, you can relate to that.

But it's not just others and life's hardships that can rob us of joy. There is plenty we can do on our own to let it slip away. Our lives may be filled with blessings in abundant measure, but we either don't recognize it, focus on the negative instead of the positive, or we forget who we are and where our hope lies. So I'd like to offer a few suggestions for experiencing more joy in your life.

You will fill me with joy
in your presence
with eternal pleasures
at your right hand.
 Psalm 16:11

The writer of these words knew that spending time with God brings joy. Time in prayer, reading the Bible, listening to God, worshiping Him: these spiritual activities will give you a different perspective. His presence alone can fill your heart with joy, let alone all the blessings and pleasures He brings.

The joy of the LORD
is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

We are made for joy. That's just how we were created to function. So when we take steps to find joy in God and choose that joy during hard times, we will be stronger. Joy is more than a pleasant emotion; it can be your lifeline.

The commandments

of the LORD

are right,

bringing joy to the heart.

 Psalm 19:8 (NLT)

Following God's ways brings joy. Obeying His commands, following His instructions, doing what He says is right. We may follow Him reluctantly at times, but He is always faithful. Following His commands will result in joy. Live by His words and promises.

You turned my wailing
into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy.
 Psalm 30:11

During difficult times, trust God. Trust Him to give you what you need. Believe He is with you and better days are ahead. Knowing your sorrow will turn to joy in the future can bring joy and peace in the midst of tragedy, illness, stress, heartbreak, struggles... He knows you can only handle so much of that, because you are made for joy.

Believe in God's goodness. Believe He is the source of the blessings you have and He will continue to bless you. He will meet your needs. He sees you. He knows. He is faithful.

Clap your hands...

shout to God with cries of joy.

Psalm 47:1

Express your joy to God. Be thankful. Declare His greatness! Expressing your joy will lift your heart even more, and it will also spread joy to others. Be visibly happy too: Smile. Laugh. My children often bring me joy by simply being happy and expressing their joy--sometimes quite exuberantly! That's one of the things I enjoy about watching sports with my son. The sports themselves may not thrill me (unless it's the Seahawks), but his joy is contagious.

Those who promote peace have joy.

Proverbs 12:20

Doing what you can to promote peace will bring joy to your heart and to others. Don't complain. You might think it will make you happier to get your way, but it won't, and you make others miserable in the process. Be positive. Compliment the efforts of others. Don't get frustrated or angry. Give difficult people and circumstances over to God. Let Him handle it. Paul said, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. (Romans 15:13) Trusting God brings peace and joy to your heart. Not whining, not complaining, not getting back at others. Those are just fast-tracks to more misery.

Shout for joy...

for the LORD comforts his people

and will have compassion

on his afflicted ones.

 Isaiah 49:13

Allow God to comfort you. His love is all-consuming, like a warm comforter on a cold night. In sorrow, hard times, heartbreak--allow His love to comfort your heart. Don't lose hope. Don't give up. God is faithful.

"As the Father has loved me,

so I have loved you.

Now remain in my love...

I have told you this

so that my joy may be in you

and that your joy may be complete."

John 15:9,11

Jesus speaks these words of truth to give us peace and to make our joy complete. He also tells us to pray, seek God, love others, forgive, don't worry, trust, remain in Him and His love, ask for whatever we need. We need joy. We were made for joy. So if joy is something you lack, ask for it. Ask Him to help you believe in His love and faithfulness.

To him who is able to keep you
from stumbling and to present you
before his glorious presence
without fault and with great joy--
be glory, majesty, power, and authority...
now and forever.
 Jude 1:24-25

Remember you are a joy to God. He delights in you. He rejoices over you. You please Him by being His. There is no greater joy for Him than to see His children living in the truth. When He says, 'I love you', believe Him. When He says, 'I am with you', believe Him. When He says, 'You are my joy', believe Him. When you are believing these things, you will overflow with joy.

So I commend the enjoyment of life,

because there is nothing

better for a person under the sun

than to eat and drink and be glad.

Then joy will accompany them

in their toil all the days of the life

God has given them.

 Ecclesiastes 8:15

Enjoy your life. Be happy. Live joy. It takes a little effort to overcome the trials of life, but not a lot. A little joy can go a long way. So go to that game. Spend time with those you love. Do things you enjoy. Spend time with God. Believe everything is going to be okay. Know you're not alone and you are loved. You matter. Your happiness matters to God. So listen, trust, and believe.



 
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Bible photo taken from freeimages.com

Photos 5-8 by Cindy Riggs © 2012, 2015, Used by permission. All rights reserved.