The joy of the Lord doesn鈥檛 mean a constant grin
鈥淲hy do you always seem glum?鈥� someone asked my friend and fellow Christ-follower. 鈥淐hristians should be joyful!鈥�
My friend, serious by nature, felt challenged and somewhat bruised by that question. It made her wonder if she鈥檇 gotten something wrong in her faith and life equation. If her joy-basket had a hole in it. After all, urging his followers to remember well his teachings, didn鈥檛 Jesus say, in John 15:11 鈥淭hese things I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full鈥�?
The question niggled long and burrowed deep. She鈥檇 grown up singing the catchy Sunday School tune, 鈥淚鈥檝e got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart, down in my heart to stay!鈥� She knew her own joy, and she knew it depended on her relationship to Jesus.
But now she wondered how she came across to people who didn鈥檛 know or care about faith in God.
鈥淒o I come across as miserable?鈥� she asked me. Good question. Must Christ-followers always present as Pollyannas? No cloudy days allowed? Must we be always louder and giddier than people who don鈥檛 share our faith?
My friend鈥檚 merry laugh doesn鈥檛 ring out frequently. She doesn鈥檛 fling light-hearted conversation around as one would skip stones over water.聽 But I鈥檓 sharpened in my own faith by her selfless love for Christ and peace that surrounds her like sweet fragrance.
I love the honesty and depth she brings to every discussion, the kind generosity with which she treats others and the way she boldly approaches people, problems and topics other believers tiptoe around.
In spite of her self-doubt, I could assure my friend that having the joy Christ brings doesn鈥檛 mean a constant toothy smile or happy exterior. Both can be easily faked. Even Jesus鈥攂urdened by the sins of the world鈥攚as known as a man of sorrows. However, miserable, bitter Christians are an anomaly. I鈥檝e known a few, and she鈥檚 not one. During our several-year fairly close friendship, I haven鈥檛 found her glum. Quiet, yes. Reserved, usually. But always pleasant. Long before her birth, God assigned her a unique, quiet personality.
Nevertheless, most Christians (including me) have times when they wonder where their joy went. Why peace with God and the sure hope of Heaven aren鈥檛 filling their joy-basket. If that鈥檚 you, consider some other essential ingredients.
What Christians refer to as 鈥渢he joy of the Lord鈥� is stirred up in faithful hearts by cultivating good spiritual habits. Some of those are: embracing a community of faith, enjoying the company of and regularly praying for those we share it with; focussing on the good about others and our past interactions with them, forgiving and forgetting slights and offenses and anticipating the second coming of Christ with eagerness, not fear鈥攁 sure depressant.
Cultivate that joy. No pasted-on smile. No forced laughter. Just be an authentic believer, sharing your life and faith (and unique personality) with others in your community in truthful, generous ways that evidence a deep love of God. Joy down in the heart. To stay.
