Lasting Joy

Let us then go forth into the conflicts which await us without a fear or cloud, and when we cannot feel the joy, but "are in heaviness through manifold temptation," let us "count it all joy," and say, "I will rejoice in the Lord, and I will be joyful in my God." -A.B Simpson-

As I look at the state of the world, my heart breaks and I often start my day in this heaviness that at times is hard to describe. It's easy to look out your window and find depression, it's harder to find lasting joy and peace. But that's what the enemy wants us to believe; he wants us to be distracted by worldly problems. To get lost in the vast troubles our minds can create, it's scary; I often find myself wading through a sea of negativity when I should be walking on dry land looking for the eyes of the Almighty.

This is starting off dark; I have been writing page after page of thoughts over this past year; I guess you can call them my psalms. And the running theme is Lasting Joy. How can I live with a mindset of joy? Well, it starts with what I put my joy in. Do I seek the joy that brings temporary relief? I would be lying if I said I didn't; I am a man who seeks approval from others, which brings me joy, but it also feeds the negativity that I wade through daily. So that's not a healthy pursuit of joy. Do I seek joy in my surroundings, wife, kids, friends? The answer to that is a big yes; when I look at my family enjoying themselves, it brings me joy. But relationships can falter when you add sin into the equation, so that is also an unhealthy pursuit of joy.

So what does a healthy pursuit of joy look like? And how can someone hold onto that joy in such a spiritually dark world? I wish I had more than a Sunday school response for these questions, but the reality is the answer is that simple. A healthy pursuit of joy is one, living in a state where all you are looking for are the eyes of our Father, and you don't have to look far to find him. A.W Tozer said this in his book the pursuit of God, "We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts." So finding joy in the eyes of our Father is as simple as a Sunday school answer; the challenge is choosing to look to him. It's waking up and saying, "I will rejoice in the Lord, and I will be joyful in my God," no matter the circumstances you face that day.

I started off by saying it's easy to look out your window and find depression; it's harder to find lasting joy and peace. The reality is that some days this is how I feel, and I am sure that I'm not alone in this. But the truth is that it is easy to find lasting joy; it's easy to look up because God is constantly present, waiting for you to meet his gaze. The difficulty comes with choosing to look up and choosing joy in all circumstances. Today I choose joy; I choose to rest in Him who guides me through my uncomfortable circumstances because it's in Him only where lasting joy and peace can be found.