JOY is not a Yoyo!
At some point or another we’ve probably all experienced feeling like a Yoyo! Whether in our personal emotions – up, down, up, down.
Up when we feel happy and then down, we don’t feel happy. Our relationships – happy when things are going our way, not happy when they’re not or our walk with God – all in when all is good and then all out when things get to hard or tough!
Well, we’re not alone. The book of James gives us some guidance how to have a steadfast joy in all that life can throw our way!
Scripture Context James who is the brother of Jesus, writes a letter to the churches, where the Christians have been spread throughout the land because of persecution. Conflicts were arising over what was right and what was wrong, what values should be help tightly and what values loosely, what was God really commanding or was it just people opinions. So, many of the Christians were up and down with their Christian faith and getting thrown off course, because they are facing what feels like trial after trial through the culture of the time, through personal hardship and through their faith. It’s in this context James writes:
Scripture Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops your perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything. James 1:2 NIV
Throughout this letter, James is urging the people to see God in their everyday life. And the first step is to have…
EYES TO SEE JOY
Joy is in Creation Through scripture we see Joy was present at the very beginning of creation and continues to flow throughout the entire bible.
A quick search of the word joy is ‘a feeling of great pleasure’. And we see that 5 times God looks at his creation and ‘saw that it was good’ Genesis 1 v31 God was pleased with creation, and later says, He made it for His good pleasure.
I’m sure we’ve all at some time been out in nature, looking over the ocean and being in awe and aware that God is at work in the world.
From the very beginning Joy has been here.
It’s not a matter of where joy is, rather can I see it?
Joy is A Gift The root word for joy in Greek is Chara, from the word Charis, which is Greek for grace.
Joy, like grace, is a gift. And experiencing joy is a response to the gift of grace.
An unattainable gratitude for Jesus, God’s goodness, and love towards us.
Joy is seeing God in our Everyday
It’s having an awareness that God is with us in our everyday – the good, bad, ugly, and sad!
Some of us would have heard someone say, ‘Wow – God’s in that’, or ‘God was in the middle of that!’ We often use this kind statement to share where we see God in our everyday situations.
Reflection/Discussion
- Have you ever felt like a yoyo – up down up down! In your personal life, relationships, or Christian walk?
- How would you describe joy? How do you experience Gods joy?
- Share some God stories that have encouraged you in your faith.
- What does Grace mean to you? How have you experienced God’s grace?
HEART TO ENDURE TRIALS
Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops your perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything. James 1:2 NIV
What James is wanting to encourage the readers with here, is to see trails as an opportunity for growth. Because trials, struggles develop us into maturity and completeness.
Imagine if we looked at trials as something that gave us opportunity to take that next step in becoming all that God has intended for us.
This scripture is telling us, we will have trails and we can have purpose in our trials. A story about growth and purpose in the struggle is the story of the Lobster.
By Rabbi Dr. Abraham Tweski – Embracing discomfort for the bigger purpose
“How do lobsters grow? …a lobster is a soft mushy animal that lives inside of a rigid shell. That rigid shell does not expand.…how can the lobster grow!? As the lobster grows, that shell becomes very confining… the lobster feels itself under pressure and uncomfortable. It goes under a rock formation to protect itself from predatory fish, casts off the shell and produces a new one.
Well eventually that shell becomes very uncomfortable as it grows… back under the rocks… and the lobster repeats this numerous times.”
The Rabbi’s key observation is that it’s the feeling of discomfort that enables the lobster to retreat and then grow. Stress becomes the stimulus for further growth. And yet in modern life we’re taught the exact opposite — we should avoid stress and discomfort wherever possible. As the Rabbi points out, If the lobster didn’t embrace this stress, it would never grow’ In the case of the lobster, the stress is not a good thing, but it does lead to significant positive change. It’s a trigger for the lobster to retreat, protect itself and grow stronger.
The Rabbi says it best… “…we have to realise that times of stress are also times that are signals for growth.…if we use struggle properly, we can grow through struggle.” Struggle is unavoidable in life.
Reflection/Discussion
- When James is writing this letter, he is talking to the church who are being persecuted and going off track because of the hardship. What are trials that we experience as Christians today?
- So often we can be going through something so intense that it is uncomfortable, stressful, requiring a shift, a change. Just like the lobster! But I wonder if we recognise it as an opportunity to grow into fuller maturity or do, we instead follow the lead of our yoyo emotions/circumstances and give up, walk away? What does this look like in you life?
- What can cause us to not want to grow? Discomfort, distractions?
- How can you overcome trials, discomfort and distraction?
SPIRIT LACKING NOTHING
Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops your perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything. James 1:2 NIV
We know lacking nothing is not a wish list or our own personal genie in a bottle! It’s more than that!
It’s living a life where we are secure, strong, and living with purpose and fulfilment. It’s living a life of joy where our circumstance doesn’t change with our feelings. We’re not set off, tripped up or distracted by our situation, or by what others say. Our conviction doesn’t change with world view or trend. Our value isn’t based on results but rather a sense of Gods with me, and he is doing something good. A life of peace, contentment, purpose. A life that isn’t a yo yo life! Joy and perseverance through trial is how scripture teaches that we can have this life of lacking nothing. It is completely attainable.
If we can see God in everything, see joy in anything!
Reflection/Discussion
- Is there any area you feel lack in? Peace, Joy, Wisdom?
- Have time to share and pray for each other. David writes in a Psalm ‘Restore to me the joy of my salvation’. If Joy is a gift, then we can ask for it! Ask God to give you eyes to see joy, a heart to endure trials and a spirit that lacks nothing!