Is Your Joy-Meter Registering "Full"?
Photo by Daniel Dorfer at Pexels
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." - John 15:11 (ESV)
Last summer, I climbed to the top of a lighthouse.
That sounds simple, I know. It’s not as if I had climbed Mount Everest. But for me, it was just as epic. After a spinal cord injury, walking involves a leg brace, a cane, and a steady friend by my side. I had no business climbing anything, let alone near-vertical, ladder-like staircases in a centuries-old lighthouse.
But I did. And it was amazing! Stupendous! Beyond my wildest dreams.
I’ll be honest, I couldn’t have done it on my own. My best friend went a few steps ahead of me so she could turn and lend a hand if needed. My sister stayed one step behind me to lay a hand on my back in case I wobbled precariously. And God was there in the narrow, wooden staircase, giving me the courage to take the next step.
At the top, we stood on a narrow deck and simply laughed. Talking was impossible because the wind whipped words of joy out of our mouths and swept them to sea. So, I gave up and let my joy fill my body. If my body had a joy-meter, it was registering "Full."
Joy to the full can only happen when we submit to God’s presence and purpose for our lives. Jesus explained this to his disciples in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” He had just given them the beautiful word picture of the vine and the branches. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. As the vine, He is our source of life and love.
It makes sense, then, that He is the source of our joy. When His joy is in us, that is when we are the most joyful.
My "Full" joy-meter is how I know God was with me, delighting in my victory at the top of the lighthouse. He had given me the strength to climb, getting all the glory. Amen! He’d provided the support of my friend and sister. My joy was His joy flowing in my veins. We reveled in it together.
I know what you’re thinking. Feeling full of joy comes easily on the mountaintop. But we don’t have mountaintop experiences every day. Dishes need to be washed, laundry needs to be folded, and soccer cleats need to be found. And some seasons are more painful than driving to practice with the stench of wet soccer cleats coming from the backseat.
When we are in seasons of heartache and pain, can we still have joy?
Yes! When Jesus is with us, his joy is our joy.
It’s not about our circumstances. It’s about abiding with our unchanging God. He is the same on mundane days, on epic days, and on hard days, which means his joy is just as steady. The hard days are shaping our character, preparing us for God’s purposes in our lives. He fills us with his joy as we live out our God-given purposes.
There’s no way around it. When we live in relationship with God, we will experience joy, no matter our circumstances.
Questions for Reflection:
1. How is your joy-meter reflecting the closeness of your relationship with Jesus?
2. Is your joy-meter on "empty"? What might need to change so that you are relying more on (abiding in) Jesus’s power and presence in your life?
