Well the textbook definition of joy goes something like this, "Joy- A feeling of great pleasure or happiness." Like in the context of "we felt great joy at the birth of our child." An event like that should cause joy in our lives and there is nothing wrong with that emotional rush and it does exemplify the textbook meaning of the word joy. The definition of joy I'm talking about is much deeper and does not fit the category of an emotion. The joy I want to share with you today is a state of being, a way of life, a perspective that changes your outlook on who you are and what your purpose in life is all about.
The true definition of "Joy" is best summed up in an acronym for the word that a dear friend of mine, Pastor Rick Bradbury, shared with me several years ago. For Rick the word JOY stands for J- Jesus first, O- others second, and Y- yourself last. Now the whole premise of the FTM "Thought" for the Week is to provoke thoughts or thinking about what we share in this blog each week. If all you do is read the words, close the page, and then just move along with your week, then my intent has not been reached yet. What I'm getting at is have you ever asked yourself "What brings true joy to my life?" Not just happiness that is birthed in an outcome of an event, and not momentary bliss created by the feeling that everything is going your way. On the contrary, the true meaning of joy that I hope you are tapped into has very little to do with self and a great deal to do with everyone else that you come in contact with each day.
The "J" represents Jesus. Placing your faith in first position in your life is the quickest way to experience true JOY. "I believe" you say, "I go to church", "I listen to inspirational music", I,I, I you say. It isn't about you, when you find true joy in Christ it becomes all about Him. You spend time in prayer, you seek his plans for your life in service to Him. You seek to share His message with others, and you trust in Him that regardless of whether or not what is happening in your life right now feels good or not it is His will for your life at this time in your life. Honestly, it becomes more like His life being lived in you and through you. That my friend is the first step in understanding the true meaning of JOY.
"O" stands for others. Once you have placed your life in the hands of your Creator, it is imperative that you realize that life isn't about what God can do for you, but instead it is all about what you can do for others in the name of our Lord and Savior. This places a whole new perspective on what you do each day. Now you aren't going to work just because that is what you are supposed to do, but instead now you go to work to impact the lives of those that you work with, the loved ones in your life, and all of the other people in the world that will ultimately be impacted by the influence of your work. Remember delayed gratification from last week's post? That's what I'm talking about here. Your life has a purpose and that purpose is directly related to how many people your life can have an impact on during the time you have on this big, old rock called earth. It is too easy to sit around complaining about how bad we have it, or make excuses about why we can't or don't reach out to help somebody else that has more needs than we do. When we begin to put others in front of our own wants in life, we begin to experience the JOY of giving. Remember the carpenter from Nazareth? He gave His life for all of us, even when the very people He suffered for hung Him on a cross. What sacrifices are you making in your life to receive JOY?
Lastly comes the "Y" yourself. This one is easy, yet so hard for us to grasp. We want everything to go our way, "what's in it for me?" we too often ask. When you focus on yourself your vision gets blurred to the point that you are incapable of experiencing true JOY. When you place yourself first everything in your life comes back to how much pleasure you get out of the experience. In your mind you may be thinking, " I do stuff all the time for others". True you may, but is it done out a sense of commitment or obligation, which would ultimately come back to fulfilling the needs of self, or do you sacrifice your time, energy, and resources for the benefit of others without feeling like you had to do whatever it was you just did?
The sounds of Christmas are quickly filling the airwaves and broadcasts of stores, malls, homes, and radio stations across the world. It is almost certain that at some point in the next month you will hear the Christmas carol, "Joy to the World" playing in the background of a venue you are visiting. When you hear that song take a moment to ask yourself the following questions. First, how am I putting Jesus first in my life each day? Not only during the holiday, but everyday. How do you go about the business of sharing His good news and living His life through your own? Second, how are the lives of others impacted by what I do each day? Do I only do my job because it is what is expected of me, or do I understand that everything I do will impact positively or negatively the lives of countless others. Your choices have an impact on others directly or ultimately indirectly. And then finally yourself. In what ways do you sacrifice of yourself without expecting something in return? At work, in your family, at your church, or wherever you donate your time, energy, and abilities is it for you to feel good about it or is it done out of complete sacrifice of self to benefit others and glorify Jesus.
Once you experience the true meaning of JOY life takes on a completely different definition. Happiness will not just come when you receive a gift or things happen to go your way, but instead your life will be filled with the true JOY of giving instead of receiving.
"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35
JOY to the World!
Coach Carter
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