“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
A good mate asked a fair and pertinent question. After a year of thinking and writing about it, do you feel more joy? I would have loved it if I could give an emphatic positive response but the answer, and the journey, has not been that simple.
I started the year with a thought that I wanted to test, now I realise that my faith was the thing being prepared for testing. My thought was that if all I’ve read about joy in the Bible is true and God is faithful, then joy should be possible in any moment, in any circumstance.
My sense of commitment to (and enjoyment of) writing this blog has given me a chance to pause regularly and come back to the thought that I began with. Sometimes it’s been easy to feel and recognise the joy, but I guess I’ve learnt more from the times when it hasn’t been obvious, or when I’ve had to fight for it.
There has been many times this year when joy has come easily – the birth of my new baby boy would be number one. But there have been many quiet moments over the year when I have needed to put away doubts or negative thoughts or selfishness. I’ve had to deliberately choose to believe, and then the joy has come. At times, this has been quite difficult.
The variable is faith. It is my faith that has been tested and (hopefully) grown throughout the year. My joy journey (you can make a bad pun with a Chicago accent – “my joyney”) hasn’t been the stroll through the flowers that I envisioned at the beginning of the year, but it has been a wonderfully rich and fruitful season nonetheless.
I know that my faith for joy has increased. I believe that joy is possible, that God keeps it available, freely available, but without trusting Him there will be times when it is impossible to feel.
God is good, and He is completely faithful. And I am thankful for the journey. I believe that He wants us to experience and be filled with joy. It is one of the wonderful results of trusting and believing in Him.
What do you believe about joy?
Just as I felt led into this journey, I am now sensing that this chapter is closing. I hope to keep learning about joy (and experiencing it), but I think new writing adventures are coming.
I would really appreciate your feedback. I really enjoy writing and encouraging people and I’d like to keep learning how I can do both better. Feel free to comment at http://geenotes.blogspot.com or email me at markgee@gmail.com.
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