Brushstrokes of Joy

by Victoria Gaines

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” ~Romans 15:13.

Sometimes a crisis knocks us off balance, but the daily grind just wears us out. Our joy leaks. Difficult relationships, job loss, the death of a parent—these things make joy seem impossible. Fear roosts at our doorstep. So how do we cope with fear of the unknown, unpaid bills, and unrelenting stress? Is joy a reality? Absolutely. I’ve seen it in the eyes of dying patients who exuded nothing but peace, and again when my friend faced brain surgery and quietly sang praises to God on her hospital bed.

Frederich Buechner writes that “joy is a mystery because it can happen anywhere, anytime, even under the most unpromising circumstances, even in the midst of suffering, with tears in its eyes.”

What is Joy?

But joy is not a feeling—it’s both duty and delight, a gift, a state of being. We often have to fight for joy or the enemy of our soul will steal it. God is all-the-while waiting to fill us with this luscious fruit of His Spirit (Gal. 5:22) but it only comes as we turn from self and abide deeply in Jesus. We desire joy–usually. But as John Piper has written, “It is a fight to join Jesus on the Calvary road and stay there with him, no matter what.” Oh, that painful road to Calvary! Jesus knew what lay ahead, yet He stayed the course for our sake. How? Hebrews 12:2 says it was for the joy that was set before Him that He endured the cross.

I’m enthralled with John Piper’s book, When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy. The passage below stirs me. Piper writes about aiming to make Jesus Christ known throughout the world as the all-powerful, all-wise, all-righteous, all-merciful, all-satisfying Treasure of the universe:

“This will happen when Christians don’t just say that Christ is valuable, or sing that Christ is valuable, but truly experience in their hearts the unsurpassed worth of Jesus with so much joy that they can say, ‘I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord’ (Phil. 3:8).

I want this joy, don’t you? Life will always bring trouble but we can stake our lives on Christ because He promises to keep us. Piper says that when we see Jesus as our “Treasure,” the Spirit has blown through our heart.” The joy is His gift.

James 2:1 says: “My brethren, count it all joy…”

The Lord gave me special grace to meet the needs of my dying mother not long ago. Her illness followed on the heels of my father’s death from lung cancer, so it seemed too much to bear at first. I told my sister I couldn’t possibly handle another death. In her own sweet way, she just blurted out the truth: “Well, honey, you don’t have to handle it. Jesus will.”

So I helped care for my frail mother’s body, metastasized by cancer, while my own body was falling apart. But I started to sense a gentle grace that carried me through the awkward moments, the grief, the pain. God replaced heartache with sweet moments and memories. He turned my focus from how am I gonna get through this? to how can I help and love my mother as she comes to the end of her earthly life? God let me bear witness to His Spirit at work as He prepared both of my parents for death. My faith was never more real to me because He impressed on my heart that He was, indeed, fulfilling His purpose for me during this emotional time. What felt like a painful dream became like brushstrokes of joy—because Christ was there with me.

What difficulty are you facing today? You can turn to the One who waits to carry you, for His arms are open wide.

“For the joy of the Lord is your strength” ~ Nehemiah 8:10.

©2006 Victoria Gaines. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Bio:
Victoria Gaines lives near Atlanta where she and hubby are the parents of three beautiful grown children and one delightful granddaughter. No stranger to adversity, Victoria writes to impart hope to those who find themselves struggling with life. Her devotionals and articles have been published in various e-zines, church ministry newsletters, denominational publications, and book compilations such as A Cup of Comfort Devotional (2004) and Pinches of Salt, Prisms of Light (1999). Her other devotionals may be found at Crossmap.com and Windows to My Soul. Email: windowstomysoul@gmail.com