Celebrate the Reason For Our Joy

By F. D. Adkins

Songs of cheer echo from the radio as she drives past the colorful blinking lights and holiday decorations. Usually, this is her favorite time of year… usually, she would be singing those words of cheer out loud… usually, she would have colorful lights illuminating her house… but not this year. This year, dark clouds close in around her shrouding the beauty of the lights. This year, the songs seem like no more than monotone background noise. This year, the pain makes her want to curl up and hide. But something inside gives her the strength to take one more step. Something inside reminds her something better awaits. Something inside her gives her peace in spite of her sadness.

***

Christmas is supposed to be a holiday filled with joy. Earlier this week, I read Luke chapter two. Jesus was born and placed in the manger. And then, an angel appeared to some shepherds that were out in the field watching their flock. This is the verse that caught my attention. “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10 KJV). I started thinking about joy and how sometimes life throws us a curveball resulting in heartache, pain, and grief that make happiness feel like a distant memory. How can we feel joy in the midst of so much hurt? What even is joy?

• “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11 KJV

Joy comes from God. When the angel appeared to the shepherds in Luke 2:10, the angel was bringing the good news of joy for everyone. In other words, the good news was not just the birth of Christ, but the birth of Christ meant everybody could have joy. Jesus came to take the punishment for the sin that separates us from God. The veil was torn. The barrier was removed so we could enter into the presence of God.

• “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16 KJV

If we trust in Jesus and accept Him as our Savior, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. In the book of Galatians, Paul lists what having the Holy Spirit living inside of us produces. Paul calls them the fruits of the spirit, one of which is joy.

• “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 KJV

Now, joy is not the same as happiness. According to Merriam-Webster, happiness is “a state of well-being or contentment” or “a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” Happiness comes from something external. If joy is produced as a result of having the Holy Spirit inside of us, that means joy does not come from external circumstances. When we have a personal relationship with God, we have joy in spite of our external circumstances. As a matter of fact, James 1:2 tells us to count it joy when we face hardships because our faith will grow as we become more like Jesus.

• “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” James 1:2-3 KJV

And Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that this joy from God gives us strength.

• “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 KJV

In the past few years, so many have lost jobs, suffered from sickness, and lost loved ones. But even though we will face struggles in this world, even though we will suffer grief, even though we may be unhappy with our present circumstances, we can have joy in knowing this pain and grief are temporary. One day all the pain and hurt and sorrow will be gone. We will have no more valleys of darkness. We will no longer have those days where we feel like our heart is so heavy with grief that we are dragging it behind us.

• “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” John 16:22 KJV
• “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4 KJV

When my children were younger, we read Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. In this book, the Tuck family had drunk from a spring that made them immortal. Not only would they live forever, but they would never age. The problem is they would live forever in this world. They could never experience joy because they knew the pain and suffering of this world would never end for them. In the story, Tuck would dream of being able to go to Heaven. Tuck says to his wife Mae, “I was having that dream again, the good one where we’re all in Heaven and never heard of Treegap” (Babbitt 9-10).

Jesus came to earth and suffered so that Heaven will be a reality for us. We will see our loved ones and have no more sorrow. My favorite part of Revelation 21:4 is where it says, “…God shall wipe away all tears….” It does not just say there will be no more tears. It says He will personally wipe them away.

This Christmas let us celebrate the gift of joy. Have cake and sing Happy Birthday to a Savior that gave His life so we could have joy in spite of this world’s curveballs.

Works Cited:

Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting, Square Fish Books, 1975.

“Happiness.” Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happiness. Accessed 15 Dec. 2021.