Count it ALL Joy?

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,” James 1:2

Count it all joy? Surely there must be exceptions, right?

Have you heard the phrase, “Choose Joy!”?  Maybe, like me, you’ve said it countless times especially in trying circumstances.  With fists held high, voices raised, we smile and say through gritted teeth, “I’m choosing joy today!” as someone has spilled their third glass of milk on top of the unpaid bills that you can’t pay while the dog runs through the house with muddy paws. You summon all your will power and positivity to produce a feeling that is just not present in the moment. So, is it possible to do that? Choose joy?  It’s an emotion, right?  I can’t control how I feel.  Can you? And, what is joy anyway? John Piper defines it this way, “Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.”  I love this definition. I think one of the key phrases in that definition is “produced by the Holy Spirit”.  Galatians 5:22 says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”.  Produced not by us, but by the Spirit.

The Spirit produces this joy in us as he causes us to see the glory and beauty of Jesus Christ through the Word of God.  My joy, my feelings, are the movements of a soul in awe of my Creator Father.  So, in a sense, I can choose joy.  I may be feeling frustrated, worried, and angry, and I can’t control those feelings when they hit me, but I can control the action that will ensue.   I can steer my thoughts to Father and who He is, and when I do, I can’t help but see things through His perspective.  I am thankful to have milk to spill and bills to pay because I am reminded of Father’s provision in all things even when that provision seems slow.  Why? Because Philippians 4:19 says my God will supply my every need. I am thankful for the child God has entrusted to me even though it seems that blessed one can’t keep liquids in a cup if their little life depended on it.  What a privilege to help shape a life toward a relationship to Father! And, muddy paws?  Nope.  I’ve got nothing.  It just is what it is.  A big muddy mess.  However, when the Holy Spirit steers my thoughts toward the beauty of Christ, even mud takes on a whole new perspective because when I look at that mess in comparison to what Christ has done for me, it becomes less, He becomes more, and joy is produced in my heart. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

Choosing joy with the help of the Spirit today,

Lisa Ruffenach

Worship Director at Faith Baptist Church

dynamicworshipexperiences@blogspot.com