True Joy

Read Philippians 4:4

If you know me, I am not the most emotional person. Sentimental, yes. Emotional, not very. People that are constantly bouncing off walls irritate me as well as people always in the doldrums of life. Would you find a happy medium and just stay there!! No, really, I do not get very excited about too many things, but I am a happy person. I do have an abundance of joy. I just show it with a smile, not a jump and a dance.
I read a story of an eighty year old lady that had kept a joyful spirit throughout her life. During World War II, in spite of dangers and separations, she and her husband were still able to laugh together at home. She recalls a summer when their laughter was overheard by a cynical neighbor. "What on earth do you two find to laugh about?" she grumbled.
Author Colleen Townsend Evans has an idea about why some can maintain joy, while others can't. "This kind of tough joy can irritate those who might want it very much but, not knowing how it comes, choose to scoff instead." Evans continues, "Joy is okay, the world seems to say, if we have some excuse for it. Like when your favorite team wins or you get a raise in pay. If we have no obvious reason for our joy, we're likely to be judged."
For all of us, joy is a decision that we must make to possess. Everyone has cares in life. I heard one preacher say it this way, “If you have a mailbox, you have cares.” Isn’t that true? The Bible doesn't say joy is a fruit of circumstance; it clearly states that joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). To live a joy-filled life, we must "walk in the Spirit" (v.25). Then we can rejoice in spite of our circumstances. Paul was in prison when he said, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"
Unfortunately we have made the Christmas season a time of stress, headaches, traffic jams and worry. What we spend today, we will have to pay for months. Guilt for not being able to supply a good Christmas to families drives many into depression and condemnation. In fact, a while ago in Kansas City, the two “all the time” Christmas music stations were trying to get people to help to give some things to those families that do not have.
I am thankful that the joy of the Lord is not predicated on my situation, but that His joy is evidenced in my life in the midst of my situation. Your choice to rejoice may irritate some, but it will encourage others and glorify God. In fact, see how many people ask you how it happens that you can smile and rejoice in the middle of chaos, and you can share with them, “Joy comes from the Lord who lives within us, not from what's happening around us.”

“Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won.”
- Louisa May Alcott