Sunday, May 27, 2012

Oh, Joy!

Once, while teaching the “Under 5” Sunday School class, I found myself having a hard time getting the kids enthusiastic about the lesson. Finally, I pulled out the hand puppets, which brought smiles to most of the faces. Except one. I said to the student, “Don’t you like the puppet show?” The two-year-old shot back, “I don’t want to like it!”

Too often, we fall into the trap of believing that people or things can make us happy. “If I only had this,” we tell ourselves. Or, “If this person would only do that.” People and things can be a lot of fun, but they are not the key to our happiness. Happiness is something that starts from the inside. And we alone are responsible for our own inner joy.

I once heard a pastor explain that the word “happiness” is directly correlated to the word “happenstance.” A happenstance is something that occurs in a fleeting moment. He then pointed out that most often, the Bible uses the word “joy” which suggests something eternal. He encouraged the congregation to stop looking for ways to be happy and to instead find joy.

Joy is something that God wants for His children. And ultimately, we find that very joy in Him. When we turn our lives over to His will, we are blessed with an inner joy that cannot be explained. Even through the tough times. It's like an internal smile that can never be wiped away. When we put our trust in the Lord, we get more than “happy.” We find true joy.

“…The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)



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