- The Encarta Dictionary defines Joy as- great happiness: feelings of great happiness or pleasure, especially of an elevated or spiritual kind
- I defined Joy as- being happy or pretending to be happy when I’m not
After today I would say, we are both wrong. Sorry Encarta. I’ll explain why.
This morning, as my team taught English to beautiful Thai children through songs and games, I wanted to cry. In my personal experience tears are the result of one of several scenarios, so I began to ask myself:
- Am I going through a difficult struggle? No.
- Is God teaching me something hard? No.
- Did I accidentally injure or maim myself? No.
Let’s get one thing straight, I’m not a crier. Intense, overwhelming emotions confuse me. So why in the world did I want to hug someone, bawl my eyes out and dance all at the same time? I felt like a bright rainbow in the middle of a thunderstorm. Finally, I asked God.
Only now do I understand what He had done, my heart was full. Full to the brink of encompassing, passionate, consuming love for these children in front of me. I had been given a swelling heart for the sweet faces, bubbling with enthusiasm as I stood in front of them.
My eyes began to brim with tears as my mouth stretched for an even wider smile. They matched my thrilled laughs with some of their own. Looking back I realize there is no way a broken, ugly heart like mine could feel so much delight for a group of little sons and daughters of God. It wasn’t my love. It was His.
What a privilege it was to get just a small look at the almighty love that Jesus has for each and every one of them. Still nameless to me, the Lord let me experience how He feels about them and in turn, how He feels about me. How as His cherished children, we are all wanted and known.
We sang together:
“Your love is deep, Your love is high, Your love is long, Your love is wide.”
Again and again they sang the words back at me.
The washing of those words over me produced a warm, pure love that I can only describe as JOY.
Again, this wasn’t mine, it wasn’t the kids singing to me, it was Christ reminding me of the pleasure He has in loving me and being loved by me. This was an unblemished, unedited, unadulterated bliss that can only come from being in His presence in every situation. That is Joy. The feeling of worth that comes from being so filled by our creator that it causes an overflow of Jesus from ourselves onto those around us.
That’s why we can be joyful when we are sad.
Because joy doesn’t come from you or me, it comes solely from Jesus Christ.
And He is more than happy to share it with us.
All you have to do is ask.
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