On many an occasion (perhaps even daily?), I scare my friends with one of these occurrences which are frightfully alarming and cause many to wonder if I just might not be insane.
Being happy, hyper, crazy, you-name-it, I've been it. Joy has never been a problem for me.
Nothing wrong with this, right?
Well, the simple answer is no. But the more complicated, longer answer is a yes-no.
One day, someone who is very special to me said something that I will never forget. He said,
"I know you're a joyful person, Olivia, but what is it that you take joy in?"
He praised me for being joyful and recognized that joy is something that we, as Christians, are called to. But he promptly told me that he wanted me to find joy in things that were much bigger than the things of this world. He reminded me that the joy of the Lord is my strength!!!
Was I really taking joy in the Lord? Or was it stemming from something else? I mean, God created me to be a joyful person, and I'm glad for that, but I couldn't only find joy in life because that was my natural disposition. The object and the cause of my joy should be dedicated solely to the Lord.
A few weeks later, I was reading a book on prayer. As I read it out loud, this sentiment struck me:
Joy places emphasis on the blessed, thanksgiving places emphasis on the Blesser!
I realized that if the joy of the Lord really was my strength, I would not merely be joyful, but I would be in a state of constant thanksgiving. In fact, I would joyfully be praising Him for His strength.
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with being joyful, but there is something wrong if I place more emphasis on my joy, and too little emphasis on the Giver of that joy!
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