I hate confrontation; hate it with the white hot passion of a thousand suns. I realize that confrontation is necessary at times, but I feel like running far away or crawling in a hole every time I have to be part of it. It sucks the life out of me. I don’t know why. It’s always been that way. For as long as I can remember, I have always been the one in a group that senses when things are getting tense and then tries to find something funny to say to cut that tension.
I like to keep things loose. I try not to take myself too seriously. I LOVE making people laugh. There’s something about being a person of joy that sits well with me and allows me to connect well with others. That isn’t to say I always hit the mark or that I don’t have moments of seriousness. I do. Everyone does. What I am saying is that I think being a laid back bringer of joy is my default life position. When I’m being that guy, I feel most like myself.
In the fourth chapter of Philippians, the Apostle Paul, from a first century prison, wrote this:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”
How could someone confined to (what I can only assume were) terrible prison conditions, advocate joy? He had no way of knowing if he would ever be released or would instead be put to death for preaching about Jesus. I think the answer lies in the fact that Paul KNEW his prison cell or eventual death would not be the end of his story. Paul radiated with the confidence of someone who KNEW the Good News was true. He wasn’t just going through the motions, figuring his Lord would magically release him from the suffering and persecution he had to endure here on earth. Paul KNEW he would see Jesus again, and that fueled his joy.
You see, joy and happiness are different. No one really chooses happiness. It happens to us, randomly, out of our control. Happiness is temporary. It’s a great feeling, but it’s fleeting. It can easily and quickly be replaced with fear, loneliness, anger, etc. I’m sure Paul wasn’t happy in prison. You and I wouldn’t be. He was filled with joy, though; joy in the Lord. Joy, in my view, is a choice one can make. Choosing joy is choosing to reorient your life towards Christ. It’s choosing to see the world through Christ’s eyes, through eyes that know that the Cross isn’t the end; eyes that know that Easter is coming, eyes that can see beyond this world into the next one, where eternal life with God awaits. Also, again in my view, seeking happiness means we are focusing on what is happening TO us. Choosing to be joyful means we are less concerned with ourselves and more focused on others, which nicely sets us up to be effective evangelists.
So, I choose joy. I not saying you will always see evidence of that. There is very little joy in our house, for instance, when I’m trying to get the kids ready for school in the morning. That version of me doesn’t write these articles. That’s a good thing. What my choosing joy means is that I know that I am most at peace and best fulfilling my vocation as a Christian when I purposefully center myself in the joy of Christ and intentionally work to share that joy with others.
How about you? Do you approach your Christian life with joy? Maybe that’s something we can all take to prayer this week.
-Shannon