We all long to experience joy. Do we opt for safe joy when Jesus offers full joy?
When I was a little girl, I didn’t wear that many dresses. On the occasions I did, it was a big deal to me. I loved twirling, seeing the room spin while my dress opened up into a swirl of colors. Made me laugh. I’d grab my Radio Shack AM radio, turn the dial to find a static free station, and I’d work the room like I was auditioning for Flashdance.
One night when my aunts and uncles were all together, I was allowed to stay up late. I wanted to show off a new, long nightgown I’d gotten for Christmas. So, I bounced into the middle of the room and spontaneously busted out some swan lake moves. I was expecting some oohs and aahs. Instead, the room exploded into roars of laughter. One uncle rolled onto the floor hoopin’ and hollering, while another aunt sprayed her drink in the air; they were laughing so hard.
As I stood there confused, someone finally let me in on what was so funny. They said I was a funny ballerina because underneath my beautiful nightgown, I forgot I was still wearing my old flannel PJs.
My mom thought it was important for me to stay warm. So, she had me pair my nightgowns with PJ pants. I turned around and ran into the bedroom, shut the door and just bawled my eyes out. I was so embarrassed.
Safe Joy
I carry the same type of suspicion about joy.
I’m afraid to trust joy fully, because I don’t want to be wrong about joy.
Don’t be misled. I am a joyful person. But I’m learning that my joy is “safe.”
* I am a celebrate-junkie. If a day is going beige, I can figure out a random reason to make a special dinner, desert, or invite a friend over.
* I love encouraging others. I can’t imagine a better way to spend time with people in everyday life than hearing them share stories of faith.
* I have tasted God’s joy in hard times. I have trusted God through extended periods of trial and I’ve tasted the joy of His peace and presence, even when life hurt.
When it comes to being joyful for myself or personal pursuits, I am very hesitant to abandon myself to joy.
You see, my misconceptions about joy don’t stem from God. They point to new areas He’s asking me to trust Him in.
I thought faith was mainly used to get us through difficulties.
God has been showing me faith is equally needed to accept the grace and gift of joy.
Full Joy
I’ve been asking God to help me experience what Jesus calls “joy made full“.
“…These things I speak in the world
so that they (disciples) may have My joy made full in themselves.”
~ Jesus’ final prayer before He faced the cross
John 17:13
Full is translated in the Greek as “pleroo.”
Pleroo.
– Filled to the brim
– Full Joy
In response, I’ve been asking myself — what is keeping me from full joy?
Top 3 Misconceptions
Here are the Top 3 Misconceptions I’ve been holding and the Full Joy Truths I’m discovering:
Misconception#1: Full Joy feels irresponsible. I have so many problems that are unresolved. Full joy seems dismissive of these important issues. You can’t just be happy!
Full Joy Truth#1: Jesus has paid the price for my shortcomings, so that I’m free to enjoy His grace. To the best of my creativity, I can find moments and pursuits that bring me joy. And I’m free to enjoy it guilt-free!
“How much more will the blood of Christ who… offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ~Hebrews 9:14
Misconception #2: Full Joy feels reckless. You will open yourself to temptation once you feel so much pleasure. Stop!
Full Joy Truth #2: The fruit of the Spirit is joy. As long as I value the nearness of God, joy is good. Nothing can separate me from God’s love.
“But as for me, the nearness of God is my good: I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” ~Psalm 73:28
“I’m absolutely convinced that nothing … thinkable or unthinkable.., can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” ~Romans 8:38-39
Misconception #3: Joy feels self-deceptive. Look at your negative attitudes, the habits you fail to change. You don’t deserve joy.
Full Joy Truth #3: I deserve joy because of who God has destined me to become, not because of who I am now. Because of God’s perfecting work in my life, I can enjoy joy without embarrassment for my past or the present faults.
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” ~1 John 3:2
“But in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer.” ~Romans 8:37
Joy may feel risky. It takes faith to step into the middle of life, twirl and spin with joy.
But, we can know Jesus is sitting front row and center, clapping for us.
Some may say this joy sounds self-centered? I don’t think so.
Joy is God-centered. Jesus loves me. This I know.
~~~~~
How are you experiencing joy in the current chapter of your life?
Pull up a chair. Click to share a comment.
For more words of encouragement, order a copy of my book Finding Spiritual Whitespace.
Beloved Brews Spotlights
Every week, I’ll spotlight a tagged #SpiritualWhitespace image from Instagram (like the beautiful one to the right) or blogger in our Beloved Brews Community. To be considered as a spotlight blogger, please kindly be sure to use the Beloved Brew badge or link back to Faith Barista in your post. Kindreds, I can’t wait to see your photos & read the stories you live. Thank you for sharing your voice.
Beloved Brews Link Up
Whole-hearted Writing. You & Jesus.
Welcome to our Beloved Brews weekly link-up! Pour out a little love with your words every Thursday (publish any day. link-up on Thursdays). Simply write a blog post about what God’s sharing with your heart this week and then share it here. Don’t have a blog? Just share a comment. Visit thebonniegray.com to read the comments & share your voice too.
Next week’s 8/6 writing prompt: (is it hard or easy to make time for you?)
Please use the Beloved Brews button in your blog post so we’ll know you’re in our community & others can join (use this html code here). When you link up your post, read & leave an encouraging comment on the post linked up just before yours. Thanks, kindreds!
Share photos that touch your heart with God’s beauty and rest using #spiritualwhitespace on Instagram. It’ll be fun to see your pics!
May the writing prompt bring you to a quiet place in your soul as you share your voice. Click here for details.
26 Comments
[…] […]
[…] […]
I enjoyed this post. It is so true – joy is God-centered. I can well remember during a most painful time in my life, suddenly thinking, “I feel joy.” I thought it odd due to the circumstances & then realized joy comes from God. It is the fruit of the Spirit. It is that deep, abiding sense of His Presence with us regardless of the circumstances. And AMEN >”Jesus love me. This. I. Know.” Grateful to have stopped here this morning!
dear joanne, *i* am grateful that you stopped here this morning. thank you for sharing.
I had not really contemplated that to step into full joy it takes faith, but the concept is quite accurate. One of my favorite scriptures on joy is Psalm 16:11, In His presence there is fullness of JOY. And as I think on it here, while I am writing, Hebrews 11:6 reminds us without faith it is impossible to please God. As we come to the Lord, we have to believe HE IS and that requires faith. Faith is a requirement for full joy to spill over into our lives.
I could identify with much of what you shared here. It has me thinking! Thank you!
Blessings,
Dawn
oh yes, dawn i love that verse to! fullness of JOY!
[…] at Beloved Brews, Thought-Provoking […]
This speaks to me. Sometimes I am distrustful of “full” joy too. “Misconception #3: Joy feels self-deceptive. Look at your negative attitudes, the habits you fail to change. You don’t deserve joy.”
But Christ came to give us full joy–His joy! It’s a gift we accept, not because we deserve it, but because He wants us to have it. Thanks for the encouragement to trust our Joy, Bonnie.
dear lisa, it’s just as you said… a gift, not something we deserve but can accept. thank you for sharing this!
It is not amazing how quick we are to allow another person to take our personal joy from us? I remember as a 6th grader going to the high school to start learning to play and instrument. I wanted to learn to play the french horn. Early on, my dad asked the director if he should look for an instrument for me but the director said that I was never going to be a musician. My dad told me this. I was loving playing that horn but that took all of the joy out of it. I quit learning and to this day I regret letting those two people make that decision for me.
Joy is internal, private and personal, and yet people who have joy radiate it. I want that. I find great joy in the special things that God sends me like pink spoonbilled egrets and beautiful pink surprise lilies. I thank Him every time I see them. Joy is found in that warm, happy relationship between Him and us.
My secret joy? Is to dance before the Lord with wild abandon and I cannot even dance! But the joy at the thought that it could happen makes me smile.
James tells us to count it all joy. That is not to think that we will never experience sadness in our lives. But if we look into the face of God, joy will be ours no matter what our lives bring us.
dear debbie, thank you for sharing a note from your heart this morning. your words are beautiful and i’m encouraged by your love of dance – with wild abandon! it makes me think of David dancing. i hope today you dance!
Beautiful description that spins off Bonnie’s encouraging words. Thank you both. Praise the LORD and glory to God in Christ Jesus.
I shed a tear for the youth that is behind me and wonder at the life I live almost in isolation. My husband says you can do what you want but his passive aggressive body language says a different thing so I have drawn back to let him be first and I am last to point that fullness of joy is amute point and I lower my expectations mourned the dreams postponed into nonexistence and arms hang limp at my sides. I will be 55 next year and the life inside my head will someday die with me. Joy is lost somewhere in this quandary, I want to get this straight in my head and my heart, hurt and disappointment has became my life and heart song for long. I’m not there yet. I’m at my bottom but I look up see you Bonnie and I am encouraged. You say find your voice and write, a dream deferred put away and now taken out of the closet, and dusted off. It feels good to move forward and break free of these chains that tie me into knots and has broken me down. I have been broken for so long and healing has been slow and monotonous. I want the whimsy back and the dance in my heart that once was there. Thank you for this post, it made me think and wrestle with my flesh and work out my faith with fear and trembling
Sherry, I just want you to know I am lifting you up today, that you would see Him, who loves you so much as you walk through your day, and that seeing Him right there with you would give you joy.
The words, “faith is equally needed to accept grace and the gift of joy,” has really made me stop and think. I have never really thought about it that way. Thank you for sharing your heart!God Bless You:)
i’m so touched the words spoke to you. thnx for sharing, lisa. bless you!
You know, I have found over the many years that I have taught that faith in God is expecting Him to show up. I have my students keep a journal in which each day they record five times they saw God in their lives. We must seek him intentionally with an expectant heart. The egrets and lilies He sends me seem so small but I must tell you that they show up at the most opportune times, times when my soul is in tears. Seek Him and He will be found.
Read Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge, I do believe that it will speak to your heart.
May God give your heart a hug today.
“Faith is expecting Him to show up” I really like that. Thank you Debbie
Bonnie, my heart cries to think you were laughed at as a child. So what if you had pajama pants under the night gown? I’m sure you were still cute and graceful, and they should have clapped and cheered.
I, too, have a hard time experiencing the fullness of joy. I think one problem is I don’t feel I deserve it. But I’ve been asking God that I would live more in the joy of Christ. Sometimes I wonder what joy actually is. Is it a dancing and rejoicing or is it also a sweet, quiet abiding in Christ and His will for us?
Trudy,
I think that joy comes from an abiding relationship with God. Joy is not happiness, which comes from some external source other than God. Joy is different, it is a feeling that no matter what happens around us, not matter what we are dealing with, God loves us fully and all is well with our soul. Dancing is an outward sign of that joy, it is not the joy, just as works are a sign of faith, not faith. Look for Him everyday with intent and He will find you.
Thank you so much, Debbie.
Thank your for your beautiful article, Bonnie. I always enjoy reading your posts. Although I haven’t had the same experience with the pajamas, I have had other situations where I was so sure things were going to turn out great, and when they didn’t, I felt so foolish. From there, I decided that it was better to try to anticipate in advance what might go wrong so that I was never caught off guard. But I came to a realization about that: it made me suspicious and negative. I realized that assuming things would go wrong killed my joy but protected me from vulnerability. Years ago, when a relationship ended unexpectantly, I beat myself up for how naive I had been. How could I assumed the best when it ended in such disaster? And I realized not too long ago that I wasn’t wrong for putting myself out there — for hoping. I could forgive myself because I did my best and it just didn’t work out. Being suspicious and negative doesn’t enrich me — choosing joy and vulnerability do.
dear carol, i am resonating with each line you’re sharing. you weren’t wrong for hoping, for living wholeheartedly. i love how your heart came that that truth– so you — and i can continue choosing joy and vulnerability, as you so beautifully expressed. we can find kindreds who are wholehearted too. 😉 thanks for taking the risk to share your heart. so valued — your voice. your journey. 😉
As a parent, I want my children to maintain a positive attitude and find the joy in each day. I know it’s a more satisfying way to live than focused on hurts or problems, anticipating setbacks, and expecting the worst. In the same way, God want us to embrace his gift of joy because he knows the benefits to our minds and spirits — even our bodies. Joy is good for us!
Never thought about joy in this way, Bonnie.
Thanks for sharing. Love how you end–Joy is God-centered.
🙂
It seems strange not to mention how your joy can trigger a genuinely destructive dislike towards you, from the other. I fear owning my joy because from experience, people want to destroy it/you, because of their own lack and bitterness. Your joy just highlights their lack and bitterness such that they feel the need to destroy your joy. Maybe I should change who I spend my time with!