An exploration of this thing called JOY!

This morning as I started my day, I woke up to a fresh cup of coffee and some freshly baked sourdough bread. Why is that important? Well, it was that moment that prompted this article. You see, as I sat in my living room looking out at another typical Westcoast morning, sipping my coffee and enjoying a slice of that wonderful bread, with a generous helping of peanut butter and berry jam, it almost felt like I was a part of one of those moments from a Folger’s commercial. You know the commercials I’m talking about don’t you? Those wonderful commercials where someone is pictured enjoying a long lingering moment, with a great cup of coffee in their hands. In these commercials time seems to be standing still and everything is almost perfect, maybe even heavenly! However, these moments that advertising agencies pull together are not very typical moments in many of our lives, are they? If the truth were revealed we would soon realize that many of us would love our lives to be filled with more of these kinds of moments. In fact, many of us would work endless hours and pay almost anything in order to have our lives filled with more moments like these - where time stands still and all seems well. But the reality is, most of our lives are filled with more moments of endless tasks, deadlines, pressures and responsibilities, and all of these issues seem to zap much of our energy and our joy. Still, the minds behind these commercials are not far off the target of what God desires for our lives. In the New Testament book of John, in chapter 15, the Bible tells the story of Jesus speaking for one of the last times to the crowds that followed him. In the midst of his teaching on many issues and topics he says…

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:9-11)

The truth that is revealed in this small section of the Bible is that God desires for our lives to be filled with joy. Not just a little bit, but joy to overflowing! God’s plan for our lives is for each of us to live joy-filled lives as we journey down this thing called the road of life. Now, let me ask you something… “Is your life full of joy today?” I know what many of us would answer when responding to this question. The truth is most of us would not be able to answer that simple little question positively. But God desires that we live lives full of joy. It is one of the reasons that He sent His one and only Son into this world and it is available to us if we truly want it. However, there are many things that factor into the equation when it comes to this thing that the Bible describes as joy. There are many different factors that contribute to real joy in life and as we approach a New Year I am going to explore some of these different sides of this thing called JOY in this blog! My little moment that I described at the beginning of this article served as a reminder to me in the midst of the stuff in my own life, there can be moments in life for all of us where time stands still, where all seems well, and most of all, where we can truly live in the joy of the moment as God desires for us!

Blessings on the Christmas season!

Rev Trev