Ushuaia, Argentina — Man on top of mountain, Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Argentina — Image by © Marc Oeder/Corbis
What is joy, and where can I find it? This is a profound question, and it is my ideological holy grail. Everyone has their own definition for what they believe joy is, but what if I told you most of us have it wrong? Recording artist PARTYNEXTDOOR, who has had massive success in the mainstream music industry, had some intriguing comments about his newfound lifestyle. He said, “It was a blue year for me. I thought, ‘Write a hit, you’ll be rich and happy.’ Meet one of the most beautiful girls in the world, one of the most talented, and I’ll be happy. After all of that? I’m not happy.”
Happiness and joy are words that most people take to have the same meaning, but that isn’t the truth. If you want to live life to the fullest, you have to understand what the difference is. Last year, I was sitting at a Starbucks, working on a coffee and waiting to meet with some people. As I was waiting there, an old man came up, introduced himself, and asked if he could join me. He sat, and we talked for a while about ourselves. He then began to share things with me. He told me about his life, and how he had made many mistakes, but God had still brought him through it. He was a professor at a school and an ordained pastor, and I was inspired by the life this man had lived. Then he told me about his health issues. It was looking like he would not have much longer to live. I asked him what that was like, and his response blew my mind! This man, who had been through so much, simply said he was content with the idea of death. It was extremely moving because of the way he said it. He carried a confidence in his voice. He had joy. His heart and his mind were at peace. He was content. Joy is not just an emotion, it is a mindset, and a condition of the heart.
When I meet people like that man, I find myself thirsting for more. I am sick of shallow emotions. I want something based in more than a feeling. I find that I am not content with simply being happy. I can be happy, but happiness simply is not enough. Simply being happy never cures me of the stress, worry, and everything else that fills my mind. I find that I am normally happy, but often lacking in peace, and contentment. I am not always joyful. Joy is something that should be relentlessly sought out. I have been on that journey. I have searched the world, and come up empty. The only place I have discovered joy is at the feet of Jesus Christ. Because I am a human, I have to intentionally seek after God and let His word, and my connection with Him fill my heart and mind with this ever-sought out joy. It is a process that I am currently navigating through. Jesus Christ is the only source of this wonderful, and life-changing mindset. That is the knowledge I lean on through my struggles. God will use someone with a lifestyle of joy to change the world one person at a time. Every day, you and me are faced with a choice to settle for shallow emotions, or live a lifestyle dictated by the Hope and Truth of Jesus Christ. What will you decide today?
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.-1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV)
Jeremiah Storkson 