Many will ask, “What’s joy all about?” Whilst
it’s impossible to answer that question with perfect fit for each person and
their every situation, there are two things that beg we go their way.
One is latent; the other is
active. One is a heart-thing; the other
a decision of the mind. One is trained
into us; the other is a responsibility we grasp in the moment. One is theory but fought for in practice; the
latter is the practice,
forging the former.
These two complement each other.
The first one:
1.
Grow a Heartfelt
Faith, Deep and Underpinning
This is consistent hard work
though not without reward. It involves a
commitment to training the heart so it contends faithfully as the heart
can—once it’s trained.
Heartfelt faith can neither be
fabricated on demand nor manufactured at will.
It’s built slowly over the years and decades. No one gets their faith to blossom
overnight. Faith’s engorged through what
is endured, hard as that is to say; difficult as it is also to achieve.
But there’s no time like now to
start or continue the commitment to allow God to build faith within us, and
this penetrates deep at a heart level.
Faith goes against the flow of
normality. Always does and always
will. But what, then, is normality? Much blessing’s to be had in searching and
finding answers to this question.
Now, the second one beckons:
2.
Engage in Life with a
Will to Be Happy Whatever Comes
This is equally hard work; now
from the momentary perspective.
It is humility on tap to resist
the poring desire to pity oneself or the urge to take heed of negative
self-talk. Sure, we’ll fail every now
and again, and some are challenged so far beyond themselves and their
circumstances they’re exceptional. The
principle of the will is, however, usually academic. Intentionality and decisiveness are its
bywords.
We make a choice despite what
we’re feeling. Feelings unchecked lead
us to a never-land, and beyond truth they serve not our best ends, certainly
with faith in view.
Can we see the expression of will
requires faith from us? Faith is an
action. This is the exemplification or
evidence of the faith described above.
Number two here builds upon number
one. The former is the foundation that
Jesus talked about in Matthew 7:24-27.
Foundations are crucial.
Beyond the foundation,
nonetheless, we still have a choice. We
choose to be at joy.
***
Joy is grown through expressing
faith and in being decisive in choosing to be joyful.
© 2013 S. J. Wickham.
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