Joy

I have been pondering the work of the Holy Spirit in my life lately and what that looks like and doesn't look like. In the area of joy (a fruit of the spirit), I see a lack thereof that makes me sad and I pause to wonder why. How would it affect my marriage if I began to experience the joy of the Holy Spirit instead of the sorrows of two sinners residing in the same house? What would my parenting look like if I experienced joy more than I experienced anxiety over a future I cannot determine? What would my job look like if I set aside discontentment and took up joy instead? And ultimately, what would my relationship with Jesus look like if I focused on the first part of the verse that has come to mean so much to me: "Restore to me the JOY of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me"? So I begin with Lamentations 3:40 "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." I am asking the Lord to reveal to me in the light of His Word, what it is that keeps me from experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit on a deeper level...why am I not experiencing more joy, when all reasoning says I should be the most joyful person around with all that Jesus has done and has promised to do?

Perhaps some of it resides in the sin of pride. Sin steals away the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 says "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." My sinful nature is prideful. I have a tendency to focus on myself, how I see situations and people, and my own will. However, when I live by the Spirit, I do not gratify those desires. I crucify the desire to have my own way, to condemn or criticise people around me, and to worry about a future I can't control. The Holy Spirit brings to my mind edifying truth about who God is, the life He purchased (mine) through Jesus Christ, and how much He adores me. I can, through His work, see people through God's eyes: they are his creations, molded and crafted by His hands, absolutely wonderfully and fearfully made for a perfect purpose in God's eternal plan. The Holy Spirit gives me kindness and gentleness with those around me. He enables me to be generous with not just resources, but with my praise and admiration for others. He gives me a peace that surpasses all understanding so I do not have to worry about what the future holds for my son or our family. When I am plugged in to the power of the Holy Spirit, life, my attitudes, my perspective, my desires all change. I can see my whole being transforming into the likeness of Christ. It is an amazing work.

Some of the barrier to joy comes from discontentment. What is His (the Holy Spirit's) work there? Gratitude! When we have thankful hearts for the riches Jesus Christ has given us, joy is a very natural and evident byproduct of His work in us. Discontentment robs me of the joy found in what I already have. I have a job that is paying our debts. I have opportunity to minister to so many people through my place of employment just by the way I work and live and interact. I have a home that is safe and filled with numerous luxuries. I can remember a time when I didn't have a safe roof over my head. I remember waking up to soaked bedding because the roof of our camper had leaked again. There was no way to get dry bedding. There was no heat to take away the chill of the evening. I remember showering outside regardless of the weather and having to be careful how much of the 2 gallons of water in the camping shower bag I used at once. I remember not always being able to shower because it might have snowed for the past several days. I remember not always having clean clothing to wear or the ability to wash clothes when we needed to. I remember the long treks down the gravel driveway to fill our water containers so we had water to drink, bath, and wash dishes in. I remember not eating ice cream because we kept our food cold in coolers with ice blocks and it wasn't cold enough to keep freezer items in. No oven for baking and the only light after dark being a lantern. So how can I not be grateful for the running water, the washer and dryer, the clothes in our closet, the furniture we have to sit and sleep on, the roof that doesn't leak, the heating and air conditioning that stabilizes the different temperatures, and the vast array of entertainment contained within my home?

If I get drawn into person to person comparison, I can find a deep pool of discontentment and desire. But if I allow the words of God to fill my heart, then I find peace and joy in today. "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made one as well as the other..." Ecc 7:14, "....whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Phil 4:8, "God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phil 4:19, "I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me." Psalm 13:6, "But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." Jonah 2:9, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You." - Isaiah 26:3. The list is truly endless, but I guess I'll stop there. The point being that His word lifts my eyes to the hills from whence my help comes from - even when the help I need is simply an attitude/perspective adjustment.

So as I've pondered why my life and outlook seem to be more serious than joyful, I have seen that at least two things are stealing my joy: pride and discontentment. What a treasured intimacy that can be had when I get closer to my Creator by sharing my Father's view and my Father's will! How much sin could I avoid with just a changed perspective? The work of the Counselor brings me in line with the will of Him who created me. And by identifying with the sufferings of Christ, whose flesh was crucified, I know that I can too crucify my flesh and kill the sinful desires that keep me from experiencing the joy that is mine to have. So I venture today to focus on God's perspective to view the people and situations around me. Through His work, I can stop being selfish and self-centered. Through His eyes, I can see (and be most grateful for) the abundant blessings of an abundant life purchased for me on the cross at Calvary.

Talk about the means by which to experience joy!