Joy doesn’t have to be a mere by-product of our circumstances. It is possible to experience joy in the midst of the worst of moments. In fact, our faith in Christ allows us to do just that.
If we allowed our level of joy to be dependent on current situations, our emotions would be as mercurial as Disney World’s Space Mountain. For the Christian, it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, God calls us to a consistency of joy that marks us as Christ followers.
For many years, I didn’t understand the rationale behind James’ encouragement to count trials as harbingers of joy. I tried to reason my way out of his instructions. Maybe he meant I could be joyful in spite of the trial, not because of it. Surely God doesn’t expect me to be happy about the painful times in my life.
That’s not what James 1:2 says, however: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (italics mine). My big clue about the Bible’s emphasis on the consistency of joy is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, which says, “Always be joyful” (NLT). There’s that little word always. Always means always. No exceptions.
James gives the reason for consistency in verse 3: “…because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” That’s my key. I look past the unpleasantness to find joy in what the tough times produce. I carve out a life of joy by how I perceive the rocks in my path. Do I see them as obstacles, potential dangers, or threats to what is already a temporal life? Or do I view them as building blocks and stepping stones to my spiritual maturity?
For that matter, how close am I standing to those difficulties?
I lived with a severe visual loss for most of my 50-plus years. It was like living in a six-foot bubble. If I couldn’t see a distant object, it might as well not exist. Life consisted only of what I could see up close. This minimized my perspective. It made me concentrate on one thing at a time. Often, by the time something got close enough for me to see it, I didn’t have time to react. I would joke to family, “If I can see a rattlesnake, I’m too close.”
When my vision dramatically improved mid-life, my world broadened significantly. I could see several things at once. I could see long-range. I knew what lie ahead in my path by several yards. The crack in the sidewalk was no longer the most apparent object in my visual range.
GAINING AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Spiritual perspective is like that, too. When we become myopic about our difficulties, we fail to see the long-range picture—what Christ has waiting for us beyond the trial, the illness, or the grave. However, the telescope of hope gives us the ability to focus on what’s ahead.
That’s what Jesus did. In Hebrews 12:1-2, the writer tells us to “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.” Jesus got through the horrendous agony of the cross by looking ahead to what was waiting for him: the purchase of salvation for all mankind, his victorious resurrection, and the ultimate Kingdom with rule at his Father’s right hand.
When we stand on tiptoe and look beyond the bulkhead of our trials and fix our eyes on the hope found in our salvation, we can have joy in all circumstances.
We can look past the difficulties because life on this earth is temporary and we have something far greater and more glorious waiting for us. Second Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever” (NLT)! When I focus on what’s waiting for me in eternity, I can approach the hurt on this side of life with joy.
It’s not easy. It’s tough to muster joy when you face a diagnosis of cancer, stand at the grave of a loved one who took his own life, or experience for yourself the devastation caused by a hurricane or tornado. I struggled to lift my voice in praise to God when a doctor initially told me he could do nothing for my torn retina and I knew my vision was fading fast.
I discovered, however, that we can attain a perspective of joy when we face the hotspots of life by seeing what God sees.
ATTAINING A JOYFUL PERSPECTIVE
1. Focus on Jesus.
Follow His model. How did he approach life? He was unruffled by the storm on the Sea of Galilee because He knew He was Lord of wind and wave. He knew something totally unexpected and unprecedented would happen after His death—the resurrection. When we focus on Him, His love for us, and His power that is stronger than anything that would defy us, the troubles we face no longer look so bad.
2. Look at troubles as building blocks.
Troubles might be missiles launched from the hand of the enemy. But our great God, who is in the business of making redemptive use of all things, can bring constructive results from destructive forces. Think of the thousands of people who have found courage through the story of Joni Eareckson Tada’s diving accident or the unwavering faith of Columbine High School’s Cassie Bernall when a gunman shot her after she proclaimed her faith in Christ. In hindsight, I can see that my own visual impairment has made me a better, stronger person. It taught me to utterly depend on God for the smallest of things. I wouldn’t trade that for 20/20 vision ever!
3. View life as temporary.
The years go by fast, and the older you get, the faster they go. Someday all this will end. Someday we’ll experience the glories of heaven forever. What we see now as big gaping holes in our earthly existence, we’ll look back on and view as mere pinpricks. We’ll worship at the throne of our Lord and wonder, “What was I so upset about?’
4. Grow an eternal perspective.
Let’s not wait till we get to heaven. The time to develop long- range vision is now. Look at everything in your life in view of eternity. Better yet, make those hard moments count for the Kingdom. As you walk into the cancer ward, ask yourself: Who can I share the Gospel message with today? After all, someone’s eternal salvation is more important than your comfort during chemo. See disruptive children in your Sunday school class as souls who need expressions of the love and power of Jesus, not as hoodlums who threaten to give you migraine-level headaches. Envision the joy you’ll feel when those young lives step over the threshold of belief in Christ.
5. Look at what you have, not what you don’t have.
When I researched the word joy in the Bible, I found that the Psalmist often gave reasons why we could be filled with joy. Here are just a few:
- Ps. 5:11: God spreads His protection over those who take refuge in Him.
- Ps. 16:11: God makes known to us the paths of life.
- Ps. 21:6: God’s presence is with us.
- Ps. 51:12: We have found salvation through His forgiveness.
- Ps. 126:3: God has done great things for us.
We have so many spiritual blessings! Instead of focusing on the problems of the day or our current pain level, we can find joy in what God has given us. Yes, we may suffer, but He has promised to never leave our side. He’s in it with us. I can have joy because I know Jesus shares my heartache and it would be so much worse without Him to bear it with me.
6. See the world’s wonder as if for the first time.
If the problems of your life swirl around you in suffocating layers, step outside and look at the world. Ponder a bird in flight, the iridescent clouds of a sunset, or the intricate colors of a butterfly wing. God, who made the world so complex, and so creatively is still in charge.
7. Cling to hope.
Hope is seeing beyond the seen to the unseen. As Christians, we experience joy because we are a people of hope. We are confident that the unseen is far more glorious than what is seen on this earth. Our troubles will pass; God’s glory will reign forever.
That’s worthy of joy!
