Now I know we are past the Christmas season. If you are like my family, the tree with all the trimmings have been packed away as we are well into January of a new year. However, I still think that this message of Joy remains relevant.
My friend Sarah spoke to our church one Sunday morning and I was impacted by what she said...finding joy in my world. I wanted to share some of her notes so that you too can receive a reigniting of the joy in your world.
Joy to
the World?
By:
Sarah Binda
Have
you ever heard the Christmas song “In the Bleak Mid-Winter”? It goes “In the bleak mid-winter frosty wind,
made moan/ Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.” We used to sing it at
my choir’s Christmas concert and I always thought it was one of the most
depressing Christmas songs I had ever heard. As a child, I had always thought
of Christmas as a happy and joyous time, and I would have enjoyed singing “Joy
to the World” at the concerts much more.
The
word “bleak” has really been resonating with me recently. The world has seemed
bleak to me, I see articles about crime rates being up, the political climate
becoming more hostile, the literal climate becoming more volatile, and attacks
on people around the world for what they believe; it just seems to go on and on.
Where has the “Joy to the World” gone?
How
do I in this coming year overcome the “bleak” and embrace the “Joy to the
World” version of myself? I don’t mean to ignore what is happening in the world
or in my life, but to look for the joy in any situation. Hebrews
12:2 says, “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.”
Look to
Jesus
In
order to find joy in this world, I must look towards the One who has saved us
all. Although Jesus knew the pain He was going to endure, He also saw the
larger reward. He saw you and I and the hope His sacrifice would bring to us.
Instead of seeing the “bleak” in His situation, He saw the joy that His turmoil
would bring the world. There are countless examples of figures in the Bible who
saw the joy in the darkest of situations.
I
would say that we all should aim to see the joy even in the bleakness. It is a
choice to see the joy and the hope that having a relationship with Jesus brings
us. The joy of knowing that we are unconditionally loved, valued and have a
purpose in Him. Although this world may look bleak, we have Jesus protecting us
with His love and grace and a heavenly home to look forward to.
Help Others
Knowing
that we have a heavenly home is wonderful, but what about now, how do I find
joy in the present, in the situation that I am currently in? How do I go from
seeing the bleak to the joy? Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 says “I know that
there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they
live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their
toil—this is the gift of God.” It
is often difficult to see past our own turmoil. Our burdens have a tendency to
weigh us down. The struggles that we are facing may feel so acute, so enormous
that we do not even know where to start. According to this scripture, God wants
us to be happy, but there is an important conjunction in that scripture, and,
it connects us to the “too do good while they live”.
God
has put in us a need to help others, and when we fulfill that need we find
satisfaction and happiness. Sometimes it may feel like we are too busy to take
on anything else, but it is important to make time to contribute and help. I
had an extremely busy summer, and the months beforehand had been a very
difficult time for my family. I was not in a place where I felt like I could be
of service to anyone, far less be joyful. Yet, at the beginning of the year I
had planned a trip with some friends to do volunteer work in New York at the
beginning of the summer. I wanted to cancel. It felt like everything in my life
was telling me not to go but I went. We spent a week, cleaning homeless
shelters, serving food, assisting with a church building project and many other
activities. It was amazing. The people I was helping thought that I was doing
something for them, when in fact with each conversation, with each meal served,
with each floor cleaned, I felt my burdens getting lighter.
Volunteering
gave me perspective, it reignited my passion to serve others, and it brought
joy back into my life. It is important to serve others, not only can it provide
you with some clarity and restore your joy but it provides us with an
opportunity to spread God’s love.
Our trials lead to joy
It
is God’s gifts to us that even though we might face difficulties that we have
to work hard to overcome, at the end of all of it there will be satisfaction;
there will be joy. We do not face difficult times because the world or God is
against us, we face them so that we may grow and find contentment in our lives.
James 1:12 tells us that “12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial
because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that
the Lord has promised to those who love him.” We can find hope in knowing that at
the end of struggle there will be joy.
One
of the realities of the time we live in is that finding a job in your field of
study can be very difficult. I had spent five years in school, completing my
undergrad and then completing another degree, I was ready to work. I was
sending out resumes like they were flyers and I was hearing nothing back. I
went several months without a job, which was discouraging. When I finally did
get employed it was made so much sweeter because I knew that God was being
faithful. If it had been easy I may not have appreciated, or worked as hard as
I did to prove that I was the most qualified person for the position. My time
of trial lead to not only a paycheck, and a better understanding of God’s
faithfulness but it also brought so much joy.
This
time of year holds a different meaning to each individual, but we often look
towards the future. Instead of seeing all the things that could go wrong, I am
choosing to look for all the things that could go right. I encourage you to do
the same. Satisfy your soul by fellowshipping, gathering a group of friends, and
doing something good. What good is the reward of heaven without some sacrifice
here on earth? Allow yourself to be used by God this year, bringing joy to the
world while you can.
