Hello, friends! For the next few weeks, I'm going to be following along with Tanner Olsen's writing prompts. Today is Joy.
When I think of joy, the first thing that comes to mind is pain. I know that's strange, but stick with me. When my cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and my stomach aches from laughing so hard, that's joy. By necessity, therefore, joy is something that's shared. I'm rarely going to smile and laugh to the point of physical pain by myself. I cannot experience joy alone.
You may think I'm confusing "joy" with "happiness," and you may be right. However, as a former victim of bullying who has gone through periods of severe anxiety and depression, the list of people with whom I can experience that kind of cheek-hurting stomach-aching joy is pretty limited. If I relax enough around you to smile that much and laugh that hard, then you bring me joy. You make me feel safe enough to be joyful.
The Bible tells us to rejoice always. That sounds nice, right? Rejoice is such a pretty word. But that's a Law verse, not a Gospel promise, and it convicts me. How can I honestly rejoice always when I have to actively distract myself several times a day to avoid thinking about the events that caused my depression? Where is the joy in my pain?
I know that my loving God finds no joy in my pain. He did not cause it; he does not like it; he does not love me any less because of it. Rather, he rejoices in the fact that, despite my pain, I am still saved through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. I don't have all the answers, but I do know this: in heaven, there will be nowhere that I don't feel safe enough to be joyful. And that is a reason to rejoice.
Stay tuned for May 8th: Peace!
No comments:
Post a Comment