Series: Living Like There's No Tomorrow
I think that many people assume that the words "happy" and "joy" are synonymous. In the realm of spirituality, I believe that they are two very different things.
When I think of these terms, I think about my life on a day-to-day basis. I work as an Assistant Director in Gardner Residence Hall at Abilene Christian University. My role is to provide spiritual and emotional encouragement for freshman female residents and for their RAs. Often, this means staying up until 2 or 3 am just listening. Or being a shoulder to cry on. Or having some hard conversations. Most of the time, it feels like I go to bed when everyone else is done with me. I feel like I have no control over my own life.
The weeks when I have extra-late nights or days that are crammed full until the wee hours of the morning, I find myself wishing for the weekend. When girls are talking to me, though I'm listening, there is always the dull pounding of the continuous thought in the back of my mind: "Just make it to the weekend. Just make it to the weekend..."
When I find myself wishing time away in this manner, I realize that I am lacking in joy. Do I feel happy with my job, the classes I'm taking, my relationships, my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ? Yep. Sometimes I dwell in temporary anger, frustration, stress, or fear, but these feelings ebb and flow with the happenings of my day. They do not silence or change the rhythm of the reverberating thought..."Just make it to the weekend..." When I feel no lack of satisfaction with the things that are in my life but still feel an unexplainable emptiness, I know that my joy is not complete.
I believe that joy is not a feeling. Happiness is a feeling to me because it's fleeting. It comes and goes, and I don't believe that it is an emotion that is constantly crucial to us as a people of faith. God created other emotions and He didn't say that we weren't allowed to experience and express them in a healthy way.
Joy, however, is different. Happiness and unadulterated anger cannot express themselves at the same time, but joy is something that one is capable of maintaining in the midst of any emotion. I like how Paul talks about it in I Peter 1: "You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to be distressed by various trials so that the genuineness of your faith--more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Paul says it is inexpressible. If I am happy, I can always give a reason why. There is not always a worldly explanation for joy. I'll use this cliche analogy: the woman with cancer who knows she is dying, but still emanates peace, serenity, and contentment. Surely she isn't happy all the time? She couldn't be--there is too much pain that comes with illness. But people wonder why she maintains a peaceful aura. It's that inexpressible joy of which Paul speaks. It is so evident in people of faith, but often undefinable.
I live in a world where I wholeheartedly believe that there will be another weekend to which to look forward. When I stop and think about it, I realize that another weekend is not guaranteed. If Jesus decided to stop in on a Wednesday, I would be very disappointed in myself because He'd be catching me on a day for which I am not completely thankful. Sure, I live that day with the intention of glorifying Him in all that I do, but I do it because it's what I do. I would much rather tackle the struggles of a day and allow myself to dwell--fully--in them. Every time I wish away the seconds, I reap less from an immediate experience.
The next time it's 2 am and a self-conscious freshman girl is sitting on my floor crying, I am going to absolutely bask in the magnificence of it. God is in control of time and this universe. I don't believe that He doles out seconds and minutes so He can cater to futility. I believe that as long as He keeps time rolling, it is something in which we are called to find meaning. You will not find me wishing away the seconds anymore. Instead, you will find me rejoicing in times of exhaustion, stress, excitement, heartache, and boredom because He wouldn't leave us here without a holy, joy-filled purpose.
God,
Thank you for giving us joy--something that we know is capable of weathering the storms of day-to-day living. May our thankfulness for each moment only increase. We know that time is something ordained by You, and we will trust that you will not keep us here cycling through time without a purpose. We love you and thank you for taking control when we are incapable of controlling anything at all.
Through Jesus, Amen.
Erin E. Daugherty
Abilene Christian University
I think that many people assume that the words "happy" and "joy" are synonymous. In the realm of spirituality, I believe that they are two very different things.
When I think of these terms, I think about my life on a day-to-day basis. I work as an Assistant Director in Gardner Residence Hall at Abilene Christian University. My role is to provide spiritual and emotional encouragement for freshman female residents and for their RAs. Often, this means staying up until 2 or 3 am just listening. Or being a shoulder to cry on. Or having some hard conversations. Most of the time, it feels like I go to bed when everyone else is done with me. I feel like I have no control over my own life.
The weeks when I have extra-late nights or days that are crammed full until the wee hours of the morning, I find myself wishing for the weekend. When girls are talking to me, though I'm listening, there is always the dull pounding of the continuous thought in the back of my mind: "Just make it to the weekend. Just make it to the weekend..."
When I find myself wishing time away in this manner, I realize that I am lacking in joy. Do I feel happy with my job, the classes I'm taking, my relationships, my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ? Yep. Sometimes I dwell in temporary anger, frustration, stress, or fear, but these feelings ebb and flow with the happenings of my day. They do not silence or change the rhythm of the reverberating thought..."Just make it to the weekend..." When I feel no lack of satisfaction with the things that are in my life but still feel an unexplainable emptiness, I know that my joy is not complete.
I believe that joy is not a feeling. Happiness is a feeling to me because it's fleeting. It comes and goes, and I don't believe that it is an emotion that is constantly crucial to us as a people of faith. God created other emotions and He didn't say that we weren't allowed to experience and express them in a healthy way.
Joy, however, is different. Happiness and unadulterated anger cannot express themselves at the same time, but joy is something that one is capable of maintaining in the midst of any emotion. I like how Paul talks about it in I Peter 1: "You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to be distressed by various trials so that the genuineness of your faith--more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Paul says it is inexpressible. If I am happy, I can always give a reason why. There is not always a worldly explanation for joy. I'll use this cliche analogy: the woman with cancer who knows she is dying, but still emanates peace, serenity, and contentment. Surely she isn't happy all the time? She couldn't be--there is too much pain that comes with illness. But people wonder why she maintains a peaceful aura. It's that inexpressible joy of which Paul speaks. It is so evident in people of faith, but often undefinable.
I live in a world where I wholeheartedly believe that there will be another weekend to which to look forward. When I stop and think about it, I realize that another weekend is not guaranteed. If Jesus decided to stop in on a Wednesday, I would be very disappointed in myself because He'd be catching me on a day for which I am not completely thankful. Sure, I live that day with the intention of glorifying Him in all that I do, but I do it because it's what I do. I would much rather tackle the struggles of a day and allow myself to dwell--fully--in them. Every time I wish away the seconds, I reap less from an immediate experience.
The next time it's 2 am and a self-conscious freshman girl is sitting on my floor crying, I am going to absolutely bask in the magnificence of it. God is in control of time and this universe. I don't believe that He doles out seconds and minutes so He can cater to futility. I believe that as long as He keeps time rolling, it is something in which we are called to find meaning. You will not find me wishing away the seconds anymore. Instead, you will find me rejoicing in times of exhaustion, stress, excitement, heartache, and boredom because He wouldn't leave us here without a holy, joy-filled purpose.
God,
Thank you for giving us joy--something that we know is capable of weathering the storms of day-to-day living. May our thankfulness for each moment only increase. We know that time is something ordained by You, and we will trust that you will not keep us here cycling through time without a purpose. We love you and thank you for taking control when we are incapable of controlling anything at all.
Through Jesus, Amen.
Erin E. Daugherty
Abilene Christian University
No comments:
Post a Comment