Joyful is the one...

The joy of motherhood. That is a true statement, there is so much joy. But it can often feel different than what you expect joy feel like.

Parenting can be exhausting. So many days are long and mundane. They are fruitful, but even the good days can feel a little like ground hogs day. The effort it takes to stay engaged and consistent is sometimes difficult to muster up. 

On a particularly trying day, I remember thinking I desperately needed God’s strength. And the first thing that came to mind was “the joy of the Lord is my strength.” It took me a minute to decide if that a line from an old hymn or a scripture (or both...) Wouldn’t you know, that was a line straight from the major prophets.

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

In context the people were grieving as the leaders read theOld Testament scriptures over them. They were fully aware of how deeply they were falling short. They were face down in the ground mourning their failure and sin. The Lord told the leaders to tell the people “get up. The joy of the lord is your strength.” And told them to stop mourning and go celebrate all the Lord has done.

There is clearly a Biblical standard for mourning. It is right and good to mourn our sin. And lament in difficulty. But sometimes it is much harder for me to move on from it. Joy in Christ is important. We will face trouble. We will need healthy grief over our sin. But in Christ, joy should soon follow. 

“Joyful is the one whose sins are forgiven.”

So many days I don’t parent (or do much else) out of joy. Joy either feels naive, or like a badge of honor. So many days, I view joy as something I earn if I get enough right. How dare I be joyful, when my children are miss behaving, when I have lost my cool, and when my house is a wreck. How dare I assume joy, when I have failed so many times. I believe the lie that if I am strong enough, good enough, righteous enough, then I am allowed to be joyful.

That is not at all what the Lord says. 

There is not doubt why scripture was described as a double edge sword.

You see that phrase cut through me. It caused pain, because it shined a light in an area of my life in which I was falling horribly far from God’s glorious standard. I was no where near joyful.

But, on the other hand, it offered a promise. I have been given joy. I don’t have to search frantically for it. The joy of the Lord is my strength. It is not earned at the end of doing everything right. It is given during to sustain you through.

Joy is not found in the midst of easy situations. It is found in the presence of God. We do not find joy when we are looking for joy, we are given joy when we are looking at Jesus. As our eyes behold him, he fills our hands with his good gifts. Gifts that when used in God’s strength help us to walk through whatever is in front of us. 

It is not humble to deny yourself the joy God is freely given because you feel that you are not missing the mark. It is humble to receive joy that you don’t deserve because it was won for you on the cross. It brings God glory when we operate in His strength and not our own.

We are allowed to be joyful. We do not have to always be happy, but we do not have to earn joy. We also don’t have to apologize for being joyful when things are less than ideal. We rely on the Lord to be sovereign and good. And wait for Him in joy, repent to Him in joy, follow Him in joy.