"I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure....Joy is never in our power and pleasure often is"
CS Lewis
How often do we experience true Joy!? Joy in its purest form? An unparalleled feeling that surpasses any expectations, any circumstances and has an ability to transcend our very being?!
We can often be happy, content, excited and enthusiastic. But joy is something detached from these things. Its pure and wholesome. Joy is often a rare occurence. Too often we are searching for it but looking in all the wrong places.
To find joy we look towards pleasure. Maybe we attempt to titilate our senses or perhaps we endeavour to achieve a feel good factor. But pleasure whilst causing a temporary feeling of happiness or excitement fails to manifest true joy.
This week I was surprised by joy. It swept me off my feet and rendered me speechless. If I'm honest it was 6 years ago this month that I last felt such a joy in my life. It's been there these last 6 years but too often it's been covered.
I was reminded this week of the joy of Jesus. Don't stop reading here non-Christian friends!!! 6 years ago this month I became a Christian, the sense of joy I felt was amazing. In a time when my life was in much turmoil I felt a sense of peace and joy in the midst of an awful storm.
Sadly as Christians we can lose sight of that joy by allowing our joy to be dimmed by the sin in our lives and cultural pessimism (that we can mistake for human realism). And that Joy of Jesus we experience after conversion, can after time become watered down and diluted.
But this week my 33 year old brother, who has certainly "lived life" told me he had himself become a Christian. That he could no longer "deny the truth" and "deny Jesus". The joy in his voice took me back 6 years. It was that same tone of voice I had back then. The reminder of the joy that can only be found in Jesus was brilliantly powerful! He was not pessimistic or nervous. He was bold and joyful to proclaim that Jesus is in his life.
I thank God he is a Christian and that I can share in his joy with him. I thank God for his goodness, patience and love to a terror of a family. For my mum's incredible Christian witness and most of all for the Lord Jesus Christ and the true and eternal joy that can only be found in Him.
Joy. True joy. Is Jesus.
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."
Psalm 51 v 12
