Choose Joy

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Blog by Megann Graf

 Last week, Mark gave a great message on bumping into people.  On sharing God’s love with folks that you just happen to cross paths with.  And we ended the service with a song called “Joy of the Lord” by Rend Collective.  It’s a song that just makes you want to sing.  For me, I almost can’t help but have my spirit lifted when I hear it.  It’s just infectious.  But, as happy and simplistic as that sounds, it’s also an incredible challenge.  Read the chorus words:  “The joy of the Lord is my strength.  In the darkness I’ll dance, in the shadows I’ll sing, the joy the of the Lord is my strength.”   That is a choice and a challenge that is not simple.  How do I choose to dance when darkness, dark times, times seemingly with no hope or solution arise?  How do I sing when I’m in the shadows, when no one sees my internal struggles?  When I look at those around me, who are in situations much, much worse than mine, how do I tell them to just “choose joy.”  Doesn’t that seem a bit trite and insensitive?

Here’s where our faith comes in.  I don’t know about you- but choosing joy is hard sometimes.  In fact, I don’t want to choose it.  Sometimes I just want to be mad, angry, sad, offended, etc.  So, how do I choose joy and why do I choose joy when I feel that way?  I think it’s only by the grace of God.  It’s only through the supernatural, unexplainable power of God, that we are able to choose joy when the world would say, “you have every right to be mad.”   It’s only through the supernatural, unexplainable power of God that we choose joy in midst of struggles.   This makes us people that the world can look at and wonder how we can be joyful given our struggles.  And when we bump into other people’s lives, we can share this secret that we have.  And, we can be honest, that it is a daily choice.  And sometimes, we don’t choose it, because we’re human, and because we aren’t perfect.  But we serve a God that is.  And the same power that rose Him from the dead, and commanded waters to divide and can move mountains, that same power is ours, when we choose it.  It cannot be explained any other way than by grace.  We choose joy, not because we’re strong enough or righteous enough to do so, but because we have faith in a power stronger than us and have been given so much grace by a God that loves us.

The joy of the LORD is my strength.   May He be yours today too!