I was in Kansas City this past weekend teaching a VBS with a friend. We played games, told, stories, and (of course) sang many songs. The second day of VBS I taught the children one of my favorite songs, called the I've Got Joy song.
I've got Joy down in my heart
Deep, deep down in my heart
J-O-Y down in my heart
Deep, deep down in my heart
Jesus gave it to me and no one can destroy it
I've got Joy down in my heart
Deep, deep down in my heart
It is part of my training to not only sing the songs with the children, but also to discuss what they mean. So I asked the children "what does it mean to have Joy?"
I ask you as well my reader. "What does it mean to have Joy?" Does it mean to always be happy all the time? That is ridiculous. No one can be happy all the time and no one can know that better than I. If you ask any of my friends who the happiest person they know is, they will probably say my name. But even I am not happy all the time. It is simply not possible to live in a world with sin and death and not be unhappy sometimes. Besides how can a Lord who commands us to "be joyful" (Psalm 149:5) also command us to "weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15)? No, to have Joy is not to be happy all the time but this is the false idea that pervades our entire world.
My reader, you might also consider from whom the command to be Joyful comes. It comes from the Lord Jesus. Yet there are times in the Scriptures when it is readily apparent that Jesus is not happy. Even Jesus was sad, grieved, or righteously angry. He was not happy all the time. Yet He commands us to have Joy. So does this mean that Jesus commands His children to do something that was impossible for God Himself? Or is it rather that we do not fully understand what it means to have true Joy? Knowing that for the Lord "All things are possible" (Matthew 19:26) I think that we just do not fully understand what it means to have true Joy.
So I ask you again "what does it mean to have Joy"? To be honest, I have heard many explanations of it in my life and I still have not figured it out. My hope for this blog is to search for the true Joy of the Lord. But I will leave you with the explanation I gave to the children I was teaching that night. To be Joyful is to be content with your circumstances, knowing that because you have been saved by God's Grace, no matter what horrible, painful or happy things you experience here on earth, you have been promised that when you die you will be taken to Heaven, the Perfect place. Sometimes to be Joyful is to be very happy. Sometimes the Joy is hidden deep down inside because it is nearly overwhelmed by grief. But! Joy can never leave because it is the assurance of God's Promise.
