Skip to main content

I've got the joy down in my heart

Recently my small group has been reading a book called Jesus> Religion. It's taught me a lot. Definitely recommend it. This last chapter Jefferson Bethke said something that really stuck with me. He said thankfulness is the quickest path to joy. Recently, a few of us have been putting it to use. Whenever we are having a difficult time, we stop and thank God for our blessings. The point I have found in this, is it puts things back into perspective. C.S. Lewis said "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." Same concept here. By our blessings, we can see everything else the way it should be seen.
So what is joy? I love the definition that was taken from the way Paul uses it.  Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world. Christian joy is not of this world. It is stored in Heaven. No one can steal that joy. We ourselves have to trade it. I can trade my joy for sin. When I do that, it causes my focus to shift back to this world.
Psalm 51:12 says 'Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.'
No one wants to trade their joy for sin. We are weak. We cannot do anything apart from God, even be joyful.
I'm not sure if you've ever seen the movie Risen. It's amazing. In it, the disciple Bartholomew is being told that he's going to be crucified if he doesn't give up the whereabouts of Jesus' body or the other followers. He has already laid eyes on the risen Jesus. What the soldier is saying, isn't even penetrating. What Bartholomew has on his face is pure joy.
The reason for our joy is Jesus Christ. Pat Conroy said "I could not quiet that pearly ache in my heart that I diagnosed as the cry of home." Strange as it sounds, our joy is in that ache. It's in the promise that someday that ache will be relieved. That we will finally be with our Father, where our joy will be full. On that day we will rejoice with all of Heaven.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Drive Safe

 I remember the day before. Telling him that he was dying. I prepared myself, but in the end, I couldn’t even say the words. Even now I can’t say the “D” word. I have built myself up enough to say he has passed away. I feel that is enough. I remember the words I chose at his bedside and how determined I was to be strong for him. “You’re not walking out of here this time,” I said. “There’s nothing more they can do.” I remember the look on his face. The way he turned away and stared at the ceiling. He did that a lot here lately whenever he didn’t want to hear what was being said.             “Daddy?”             He looked at me.             “Do you understand?”             “Yes.” He mouthed. He now had a trach in place so it was then that I realized I would never get to hear his voice again.             “Are you okay?” I asked.   ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Happily Ever After

              I remember the day we got married. I was beautiful, dressed in white. My gorgeous groom standing at the end of the aisle. Our forever waiting on the other side of 'I Do'. I didn't even hesitate. I was never more sure of anything in my life. This man was for me. Fairy tales don't always have a happy ending. I blinked. I'm in a courtroom with that same man, before a magistrate. The best thing we ever did, standing between us, tiny hands tucked into ours, as we dissolve our family.  I regret more than anything that I didn't think ahead and get a sitter. Instead, I let my daughter witness the destruction I was trying to protect her from. I waited until I was alone, then I cried for my daughter. For the consequences my choices would have on her life. For how my decision would shape her as a person. For the family I ripped from her.              Divorce is heavy. It affects my children, my witness, my fa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Angel of Death

I have never wanted to be a nurse. My mother is a nurse and she put me up to it. I had a son and had no idea how to take care of him, and nursing would pay the bills. That's the honest beginning of my nursing career. I've been a nurse for over a decade now, and have worked many places. I once worked for a nursing home that had about 50 residents. There was a stretch there where every patient that passed away, did it on my shift. I got the nickname angel of death. I used to get offended when called that because no one wants to be associated with death. Ironically enough, I've been a hospice nurse for the last 7 years. For those of you who don't know, hospice simply means end of life care. I have listened to a heart, beat its last beat. I have held a persons hand while they took their last breath. I have read scripture to a preachers son as he went into the arms of Jesus. I have had the honor of being there for patients and families as they struggle to say goodbye to th...
2 comments
Read more