Joy's Reflection of God's Image - Serenity in Suffering

Reflections; real but illusory. Yet we often base our knowledge on reflections; those fine lines around our eyes indicate unwanted aging, the new shade of lipstick is just the right color, those snippy words reflect her impatience or his prompt arrival at work every day reflects his strong work ethic. Pondering a stray comment by a friend referencing my “abiding” joy, I wondered if joy’s reflection of God’s image in my life portrayed God’s true magnificence.

For any of my valued readers who may be new to Serenity in Suffering, pursuit of the tiny word, “JOY” is my One Word adventure for 2021. This tiny word contains many lessons, and a mere five months into my journey, my heart brims with all God taught me so far. Please take the time for a leisurely review of my travels; I promise joy awaits you!

reflections don’t lie

Among other irrational fears, spectrophobia claims space in my psyche. Simply expressed, spectrophobia is the fear of mirrors or more precisely, “the fear of what may be reflected there.” The stuff of horror movies, I know. Still, it remains a genuine aversion for me. Despite the placement of a mirror in every bathroom above the sink, when washing my hands I never look into it. Amusingly, one day my repugnance for mirror gazing led to me walking around my office with my sweater on backwards and no eyebrows until noon. Seems in my haste at home I neglected to employ my eyebrow pencil, or notice my sweater’s backward condition. All of which might have been corrected immediately, for one glance in the mirror.

Perhaps my fear of mirrors confirms the truth, “reflections don’t lie”. Not to digress into psychoanalysis, but clearly I dislike what the mirror reveals. Yes, many of my sensitivities find roots in past trauma, however, the truth of the reflection prompts action. Which is James’ point in James 1:22-25; looking into the perfect law of God’s Word reveals our true “reflection”, prompting action for continued growth. If I consider my joy as a mirror, what truth springs from joy’s reflection of God’s image in my life to others?

Joy’ s Mirror

In precisely the same manner in which a physical mirror reflects our physical appearance or our behavior and words reflect our core beliefs, our “joy” reflects God’s character and nature to others. More sobering comes the realization that the nature of our joy reflects our beliefs about God. I make no reference to whether we display a smile or give the impression all is well in our world. Joy is not something we conjure up or choose; as a fruit of the Spirit, God gifts us with joy through sanctification.

Hindering or diminishing joy, however, is possible. When we lazily address sin in our lives, spend minimal time in God’s Word or forsake prayer and meditation, we stifle joy’s expression in our lives. At the same time, if we view joy from an entitlement perspective, ungratefulness seeps in, resulting in a joy tainted by resentment. Joy signals the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit; all Christians have joy. Joy’s reflection of God’s image testifies to His preeminent place in our hearts.

reflecting god’s image

Joy resides in the Presence of God, not in the absence of sadness, trials or suffering. In fact, at times the “joy work” of the Holy Spirit involves humbling us through suffering. Intermittently, joy looks like tears of repentance as suffering shifts our eyes from ourselves and trivial pursuits of counterfeit joy to Christ. A marvelous confidence in the Triune God who framed, accomplished and applied our salvation, characterizes true joy. Which invites joy-filled responses from us to God’s dealings in our lives.

Jehoshaphat’s Joy

We see joy’s reflection of God’s image splendidly portrayed by Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat stands poised for an overwhelming, epic battle against an enemy army so large, he held no hope of victory. He comes before the Lord in honest prayer acknowledging their powerlessness against the oncoming army, while confessing they “knew not what to do”. (2 Chronicles 20:12)

Yet Jehoshaphat says something remarkable at the end of his prayer, “but our eyes are on you.” In the midst of a hard trial, Jehoshaphat’s gaze shifts from himself and the situation to God. The result? God told him Judah need not fight the battle; while they looked on, God would fight for them. (2 Chronicles 20:15-17) As imagined, Jehoshaphat and all Judah rejoiced in God’s answer, but that was not the true expression of their joy. Their joy manifested in Jehoshaphat’s appointing singers, which went before the army, praising the beauty of God’s holiness, His name and His mercy which endures forever. God given and focused joy finds outward expression in praise and adoration of Him.

joy’s reflection of god’s image

Jehoshaphat’s example of joy paints such a poignant picture of joy for us, not because he displayed joy in the midst of a trial; but because of where he chose to place his focus. Similar to my mirror example above, if I linger too long with my reflection, the whole of my vision sees only the flaws; the things I dislike about my image. Jehoshaphat clearly viewed his situation, however, his focus then shifted to God, sparking confidence, hope and joy. His joy then suffused the entire nation of Judah, culminating in joy’s reflection of God’s image through songs of praise and adoration.

The joy Jehoshaphat experienced was not displayed by a smile on his face through tears. His joy, fully sourced in his knowledge of God, resulted in confident trust in God, infecting those around him with the same joy. The joy that reflects God’s image, His true worth, springs from the root of true knowledge of God. To the extent your knowledge remains small or faulty, your joy portends a paltry representation of God’s true excellence.

The secret of Joy is Christ in me; not me in different circumstances.

Elisabeth Elliot

greater knowledge=greater joy

The true, God-reflecting joy demonstrated by Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah came from their knowledge of God and His word. In 2 Chronicles 20:5-9, Jehoshaphat rehearses all God taught the nation from Abraham to the present. He knew God through the preservation of His Word on scrolls and teaching he received when a child. That knowledge fueled his trust and drew him to cast his eyes upon God in time of tribulation, manifesting joy in his heart.

If you desperately desire more joy in your life, look no further than the Word of God. For there He invites us “taste and see that the Lord is good”. (Psalm 34:8) God desires us to know and enjoy Him through His Word. How often my heart felt unspeakable joy when He opened the scriptures to me! Jesus says twice, He taught the disciples (and subsequently us) so that His joy might dwell in us, and our joy might be full. (John 15:11, John 17:13)

what is joy’s reflection in your life?

While my heart’s desire is for joy’s reflection of God’s image to be present in my life, at times joy’s reflection testifies of me or worldly pursuits. As I contemplated joy’s reflection in my life, and the lesson God had for me, a series of memories flooded my mind. One such memory portrayed the time a colleague commented how “strong” I appeared as I smiled joyfully through my tears going through a particularly hard place. Or the time I declared my trust in God for His intervention in a trial, while walking about bemoaning my troubled state, that is until everything turned out the way I wanted; then I rejoiced and praised God.

Sadly, in neither situation was joy’s reflection of God’s image and excellency, nor did it inspire others with joy. In the one, all attention rested on me and my phenomenal ability to smile through my tears and pain. In the other, still self-focused, the attention was on my pitiful state; and the message given of joy’s presence and God’s praise only when I got what I wanted.

True, steadfast, God given joy walks into the fire with confident, hope-filled trust in God, marked by words of praise and adoration for God, without knowing the outcome. That kind of joy proclaims God’s excellent and glorious name, permeating the hearts of all who see and hear with the same joy. Joy, unspeakable and full of glory flows from true knowledge of our all magnificent and glorious God. What is joy’s reflection in your life?

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