I remember the first time I went to the Nazarene Church in Clayton, Indiana. The pastor there was Brother Enoch Ralph. He had ten children several of whom were still teenagers. In my Sunday school class were several daughters, all attractive to this then wild-eyed teenager.
One said "Hello, I'm Faith". I said "Hello Faith."
The next said "Hello, I'm Hope." I said "Hello Hope."
The last, a very pretty redhead said "Hello, I'm Joy." I said "I bet!"
You see "joy" for a teenager is pleasure. When I looked upon her beauty my thoughts were on "What's in it for me?" I'm not talking lust at this time in my life, but validation. All of us boys wanted an attractive girl to show us attention. Joy was exciting! However, she was never meant to be. It was her sister Martha who eventually stole my heart for a short while.
The moral here: Joy is not always where you think it is!
We human animals look for joy in wrong places. We look toward the world and the excitement of things in the here and now. I have marital joy now. She is a gift which complements me. She's the missing part which God felt Adam needed to be happy. She is "my joy". Not all the time, but without her much in life would be amiss.
My kids are my joy as well. The "chips off my block" delight me. My life would not be complete without my offspring. I don't see them often, but the memories make me glad inside. They are imperfect "mini-me's", but my love for them perfects them.
My step-child gives me joy. Not always, because world's sometimes collide. Colliding world's aside, she's there making me smile and at times cracking my Max Factor enough that I laugh.
My grandchildren and step-grandchildren give me joy! They are a delight to watch. My weakness is children and my joy is watching them grow into adulthood. Even the simple things they do brighten my day! Of course young grandchildren can do no wrong in the eyes of a loving grandfather, unlike children who are slightly less perfect.
My friends bring me joy. Of course my heart aches for some of them as well.
All these people bring me joy, but "things" do not; not even "free stuff". It's interaction with those who I love which brings me joy.
However, and there is always a "however"; all the joy brought to me by these people are not true joy. Even with them, without hope, joy would be shortchanged!
I mentioned the preacher's daughters "Hope and Joy". Hope was the older of the two. She came before Joy. It's the same in life. Joy is preceded by hope. How can one have joy without hope? It's impossible. We can only delude ourselves. Even with all the joy in my children, grandchildren and friends; without the joy of the Lord life would be bleak. I have joy because I have the "hope of salvation". Thank you Lord for your grace!
Brother Ralph didn't have a daughter named Grace, but one was named Faith. She was the older of the three. She came before Hope. Hope is an outcome of faith. It comes from having faith. Just as Faith preceded Hope and Joy in the Ralph sisterhood, the same must be in the Jesus brotherhood. Without faith, hope cannot be and joy can never be had. Brother Ralph surely thought on these things as he named his pretty angels!
Sometimes joy is not there because we lose hope for a while when faith wears thin. The busy life and disappointments can make faith waver and hope and joy take a beating. Sometimes we must face reality. All is not faith, hope and joy. Sometimes there is just life. Brother Ralph's daughter, Martha, was just the usual. In scripture she received Jesus, but did not serve him as Mary did. Sometimes we get the "Martha" in life, in place of Faith, Hope and Joy. I got Martha. She received me, becoming my girlfriend for a spell, but she did not bring me joy for long.
In time, it wasn't the Ralph girls who was my focus. It was Jesus Christ. As I matured I desired more. I wanted to be saved from eternal damnation and I got serious about Jesus. I still longed for female attention, but I could never have joy when I knew that I was going to hell. With that said, I prayed for forgiveness and was saved. With the new me, the new creation, my "faith" was now in Jesus, my "hope" was eternal life and the new person had "joy"!
There are ups and downs in life. Nothing is always joyous. Sometimes we get Martha and are satisfied with her. Martha's provide love, friendship and security; but to find joy, one must look further. Joy is not always exciting, but sometimes merely assuring! I thank God for the joy which comes from being safe in Jesus.
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