Choosing Joy
The Feeling of great happiness or pleasure, known as joy, comes to us in different ways.
People seem to almost stand in line to hold a newborn baby. There are big burly guys
who smile ear to ear as they make goo goo sounds at babies. That’s joy! Small children,
teenagers and women as well experience great joy when in contact with a baby. The
thrill of seeing one’s children and grandchildren obey the Lord in baptism is a
source of joy also. These events are what I think of as “easy joy”. It seems so
natural that it is hard to feel otherwise.

When things in life don’t go the way we want is the time to choose joy rather than just
letting it happen. Some of the best examples of choosing joy have come to me from
Christian ladies. One of these ladies was Norma Kilgore. Norma was a victim of cancer
which required surgery many times. One time, after yet another surgery, she was
reported by the nurse on duty to have been singing hymns and praise to God in the
middle of the night. Who can be so joyful when in pain? I think knowing God is in
control gave Norma her reason to rejoice. Psalms 100 and Philippians 4:4 should re-
assure us as well.

Teen Cleveland is another person who has impressed many in spite of numerous physical
problems. One thing I was impresed by was her joy at going home. She said it didn’t
matter if she went home to her Colorado Springs address or to her permanent home with
God. Her joy comes from knowing God will never leave her nor forsake her. He promised
his people this very thing in Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5.  

Joy is another gift from God regardless of the form it takes. Let’s choose this day
to be joyful!

Soon my two year-old came in and said: No crying Mama.  He grabbed a tissue, and lovingly wiped my eyes.  Then he smiled at me and said: See, all better.

I couldn’t help but smile.  His answer was so simple and yet so profound.  I was the one focusing on the negative.  All I needed to do was take a deep breath, look at my beautiful family and thank God for his immeasurable blessings. 

Soon after this incident I came across this verse in Psalms 51:12 (NIV).  It was written by David after his sin with Bathsheba.   

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

This passage really spoke to me.  I often find myself in need of a renewal of joy, whether in response to sin or not.  And it comforts me to remember that I have salvation in Christ and that he can sustain me. 

Joy really is a choice.  Remember God and his blessings and he can restore your joy as well.

We want to follow Christ’s command to wash each other’s feet, but how do we do that? Here are some guidelines.

Look for opportunities to serve others. Sometimes, we excuse our lack of footwashing or service with the idea that we don’t know what to do. I’ve always admired the Shunamite woman described in 2 Kings 4:8-10. She knew that Elisha often traveled through her town and she saw that he needed a place to stay. She served Elisha and God by preparing a room for Elisha. She saw the opportunity and used it to serve.

1. Open your heart to the opportunities that God sends. In Acts 16, God opened Lydia’s heart to his words spoken by Paul. She and her household were baptized and immediately she invited Paul and his companions into his home. She didn’t waste any time before serving.
2. Don’t worry about how little you know about footwashing. Often we don’t know the words to say or the things to do for someone. Ask what they need and be prepared to do it. A friend of mine was amazed when she was visiting at the home of a lady who had just lost her husband. When she asked what she needed, the lady told her, “I could really use someone to finish my laundry before the family gets here.” Sometimes just the expression of love and that the person is in our prayers is what they need.
3. An act of footwashing does not have to be a grand, glorious deed. Small things can be just as needed and important. So wash someone’s laundry, send a card or make a phone call, give a cup of water. (Mark 9:41)
4. Service must be in the name of Christ and in serving others, we serve Christ. Mark 9:41 says that even a cup of water must be given in his name. When we serve others, we serve Christ. (Matthew 25:40)

 There is another challenge in footwashing—when you are the one who needs her feet washed. Recently, two ladies (in their 70s and 80s) have told me how difficult it was to realize that they needed the help of others. Both had always been active in the church; teaching classes, working in the benevolence program, supervising the preparation of food for funerals, visiting the sick. But now they both needed assistance; someone to drive them to services or the grocery store; someone else to teach the classes and visit them.

It’s hard when we reach that point, but remember that by allowing others to serve us, we allow them to feel the blessing of Christ—we all become the aroma of Christ.

 rlb

It’s been a big year.  Just within the past two months, I got into my first car accident, we bought our first house, we went on our first cruise to celebrate our fifth anniversary, and my husband got accepted into a master’s degree program.  God has blessed us, but it’s been a bit of an emotional roller coaster, and yesterday was no exception.

As we were driving back from my parents’ house, 14 hours into the 16 hour trip, we entered into Raton Pass, and less than five miles into Colorado, we hit a bear.  Yes, a bear.  We were driving the car that had just been repaired after the wreck.  The front end was less than two months old.

So how does this connect to joy?  A few months ago when I got into my first wreck, I had a hard time choosing joy.  I couldn’t let it go that I’d run into the back of someone.  The Wednesday night after the wreck, we had a lesson at church about how we respond to various trials.  I definitely did not respond well with the first car accident.  I chose to let stress and worry rule my thoughts and actions.  But yesterday, I decided to choose joy, to think about how funny it is that we hit a bear and how blessed we are that only our car is damaged!

Choosing joy hasn’t been easy, though.  There’ve been several times today where I was really stressed about how much this new accident was going to cost and what it was going to do to our insurance.  Each time I’ve started to stress out, I’ve reminded myself of James: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4, NASB).

Why does James urge Christians to consider trials joyfully?  One reason James gives in verse 4 is that through trials our faith is perfected.  I think there’s another learning opportunity, however.  Our focus this summer for these devotionals is on the fragrance of Christ.  Whenever I’ve met someone who is genuinely joyful, I remember her and wonder what her source of happiness is.  Many times, a joyful Christian woman has strengthened my faith, not by her direct instruction but by her actions.  If as a body of Christ we purposefully choose joy, then we will have an opportunity to not only strengthen our own faith but to also strengthen the faith of others.  In essence, when we choose joy, we also choose to be a fragrant reminder to others of how God is the giver of joy.