Joy’s bridesmaid

"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24

Focussing on joy in this blog this year has been well, enjoyable. I have happily been meandering around thoughts and topics as they have come across my heart. I like finding alluvial gold. As I learnt in Primary school about the gold rush, that’s gold that you find on the surface rather than mining for it. I haven’t sought to mine the scriptures or other people’s ideas on joy but rather see what God shows me next as I try to simply seek Him rather than ideas for a blog.

There is one thought that I have kept finding again and again, something that I think has become a theme among my thoughts on joy. Here it is. I believe that joy is totally dependent on faith. Okay perhaps you’re a few steps ahead of me and that was more obvious than earth-shattering, but let me continue.

Without believing in something or for something or in someone I don’t think that joy is possible. When I am feeling full of faith then I find that joy is already there, it’s easy. At times when I am struggling with doubt, joy is difficult even to imagine. Doubt is a joy-thief. It stops our joy and rips us off.

I’m not suggesting that joy is the goal of faith. Faith is about who and what we believe in. But joy comes with faith. Faith makes it possible to smile even when there is evidence that you should not. I guess then that joy is a handy indicator for faith.

I have learnt that being blessed or counting my blessings isn’t enough to precede joy (otherwise everyone in Australia would be full of joy, right?). Without a spark of faith, we can’t feel the benefit of the blessings, it’s like our heart trying to read with its eyes shut. Without faith we cannot see that some One has designed that blessing because He delights in us.

But with faith - faith that overcomes insecurity, faith that breaks self-pity, faith that brings hope to despondency – we can have joy too. Believing helps us to smile. Once again we see that this great narrative is about our hearts and about a Heavenly Father who cares for them deeply.

What do you do to increase your faith?