A Joyful Heart

I’m beginning a devotional series on having a joyful heart. Yesterday’s Scripture was Psalm 16:11, “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (NASB) Today’s Scripture is II Corinthians 6:10, “As sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.” (NASB) I combined both Scriptures today because the source of joy is from God, and yet, even though we are going through trials, we can still be joyful because that joy comes from Him.

As I was doing both pages, yesterday and today, I couldn’t help but think of situations where I needed God’s joy in my life. Once was when I miscarried the only time I became pregnant, and the other was when my first husband died. Both times I needed God’s joy even though I was in deep pain and sorrow. I could honestly say that God’s joy was in my heart despite the circumstances. To the average person that concept doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. How can you be joyful and be in sorrow at the same time? First, I think we need to look at what we are talking about. Joy is not happiness and happiness is not necessarily joy. Joy is deep in your heart and doesn’t depend on circumstances. Happiness is fleeting. We can be happy in one second and unhappy in the next. We can be joyful even though we are not happy.

Confusing? Yes, it can be. But when we understand that joy doesn’t come from our emotions but from deep inside, whereas happiness is emotion driven, then it isn’t so confusing. Joy comes from God and He places that joy deep inside of us.

When my first husband, Allen, died, I felt a multitude of emotions…grief, relief, joy, exhausted, lost, isolated, not whole…the list went on and on. All of those emotions were piled on me at the same time. I grieved because I was missing my life partner and best friend. Relief, because I was his primary caregiver and it hurt me to see him suffer. Joy, because I knew he was in Heaven with God and was no more in a debilitated condition and suffering. Exhausted, because there was nothing left in me after caring for him for seven years from strokes and epilepsy. Lost and not whole, because a part of me was missing. Isolated, because I felt all alone. Yet I still had a deep joy, knowing God was in control despite my circumstances. I knew He would never leave me, and He would walk with me through this. Was I happy? No, but I still had joy and my faith in God was not shaken.

II Corinthians 6:10 talks about being sorrowful, yet rejoicing, about being poor but making others rich, and having nothing but possessing everything. These things are happening simultaneously. Our circumstances don’t dictate our joyfulness, but they can dictate our happiness. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people who have next to nothing in possessions talk about how contented they are with their lives in spite of the fact that they are poor. They scrimp and save and eke out an existence with little to show for it. Yet, they seem to be the happiest, most joyful people on the planet, and more often than not, they are the biggest givers. They may not have much, but what little they have, they are willing to share with others. Whereas the people with everything financially and materially seem to be the most unhappy people. Living lives of “I have to keep everything to myself” and not willing to really share from the bounty they possess. II Corinthians says that because of joy, even though we have nothing, we possess all things. Only God can do that! Only God can give us that joyful heart that leads to contentment and brings peace into our heart and life.