After taking inventory of my life one day I was startled by my lack of consistent happiness. As I surveyed my recent recollection I could honestly say that I was just not that happy of a person. In these moments two roads diverged into a wood. First, I could accept the unhappiness I experienced as the true state of the “real world” and surrender. Second, I could seek avenues of happiness until I either succeeded or joined the first group.
In my search I found certain things to be true. Money makes me happy one minute and joylessly anxious another. Toys make me happy until their shiny packages disappear and my credit card bill doesn’t. Special events make me happy until I drag through my week from lack of sleep. Relationships are perhaps the most lasting joy experiences of all and yet even they wane as I am still trying to find a friend who has also reached perfection.
And just as I was about to resign to road number one, I read the words of Christ, “Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24). From these words came some world changing questions. Could joy be something that God simply gives me? Could it be totally separate from toys, jobs, relationships, and even my own mood? Could joy really be so simple to attain that I only need to ask for it? If God Himself gave it, how deep could I possibly experience it? How deep could I laugh? How wide could I smile? And if my joy could run that deep, who could take it away from me?
And so begins my journey into the gift of Joy. I welcome you to join me each month as I explore these questions and many more concerning the joy gifts of God. I have no doubts this journey will include both valleys of sorrow and mountains of ecstasy. The true question will be: can unbroken joy survive them all?
