Do you remember the song “I have the joy, joy, joy, down in my heart?” Do you want to shout, “Where?” I know you do. The composer is unknown, but God’s joy bubbles up in my heart whenever we sing this song.
Joy is different from happiness. Happiness depends on situations and is fleeting. Joy comes from knowing our purpose and meaning and is long-lasting. Joy is genuinely down deep in our hearts. It comes from knowing God’s plans and purpose for your life. Paul reminds us twice in the same verse to focus on joy from the Lord.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Philippians 4:4
The way God uses me has changed over my lifetime. My purpose is to serve God and share His love with the world, but how this looks has changed over the years. When my kids were little, I shared His love with them daily. As they grew, we shared His love with people we spent time with, such as friends, teachers, coaches, and many more.
Now that my kids are grown and gone, I spend more time with my friends. God brings new people to interact with each day, such as the chapel staff, coffee shop baristas, and quilt store employees. I love to share His love with the women around me by sharing about the Advent wreath and church traditions.
Many years ago, my mission in Germany was to build community while our spouses were deployed. To encourage this mission, the chaplain spouses gathered monthly to do service projects. We shared our projects with people in our community and shared our faith. Watching the women share the Gospel brought joy to my heart. Serving, helping, and loving on people creates community and brings joy to all involved.
Spreading joy can be done through small acts of kindness and listening to stories grandmothers tell to their grandkids or great-grandkids. Sharing stories of God’s faithfulness brings joy to those telling and hearing them.
I enjoy sharing my joy by encouraging people I meet. Baristas and store employees need our encouragement and hope. Sometimes, smiling and asking how they are doing can help people around us to have a better day.
The third candle is named Joy. Just as my family enjoys spreading God's love, Christmas reminds us of the tremendous news filled with Joy. The angels delivered God’s joy to the shepherds as they announced the birth of Christ.
God’s joy overcomes our trials and hard times.
Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd, so it is very appropriate that the first visitors would be shepherds. They worked in the fields, probably tired yet diligent in caring for their flocks. Fear, shock, and joy-filled their minds when the angel announced Christ’s birth. They may have joined the multitude of heavenly hosts praising God. I wonder if they sang along with the angels.
The third candle is the pink one, representing joy—joy for Christ’s birth. Some people fast from the start of Advent to this day. Breaking bread to end a fast brings great joy.
Looking forward to the return of Christ as our King of Kings brings me great joy—the kind of joy that is down in my heart and can’t be extinguished by trials or hard times.
The excitement of Advent is building. Our joy starts to bubble over to our friends and family as we share about Jesus’s birth and His return as our King of Kings. Learning and embracing our purpose brings God’s joy into our hearts. As we move closer to Christmas, let’s allow the joy to flow to all the world.
Scriptures to meditate on while bubbling up in Joy:
Psalm 148:1-2
Luke 2:8-20
Psalm 23
Revelation 19:1-2
Hymns to sing or listen to:
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Away in the Manger
Joy to the World
Questions for discussion:
1. What about your favorite childhood holiday tradition brings you joy?
2. What brings you joy in your work?
3. Read Psalm 23. How do these passages bring you joy?
4. How do you explain joy to people who might not know how it differs from happiness?
5. How can you share God’s joy with people around you?
Comments