REFLECTIONS ON JOY

Joy is not happiness. Happiness is “small.” Joy is very different. Joy is deep –
deep within our being.

The kind of “soul experience” I’m talking about when I talk about joy is one
that is usually accompanied by an odd combination of euphoria plus a
strange “ache” ~ a lump in the throat, often tears. More about that later. I
think joy carries with it the element of “love” in some form and the element
of “thankfulness.” You know those special moments such as witnessing the
exchange of wedding vows between two people who truly love deeply,
unselfishly, and you feel confident will be united for life; or the miracle of
birth, even your baby’s first steps or words, or how about witnessing the
triumph of one who has achieved a goal despite incalculable odds? There are
simpler forms of joy, too, of course, but they still carry the element of love
and thankfulness. What about the unexpected appearance of a majestic
mountain-scape as you round a curve in the road, or that crazy lump-in-the-
throat feeling when you sing the national anthem or “America the Beautiful?”
All of these may bring tears to our eyes, but they’re surely not tears of
sadness; they’re tears of joy. But again, why do we respond so emotionally?

My thoughts may be simplistic, but I think they’re worth considering.

Happiness, as we usually think of it, is a product primarily of circumstance,

and in many ways, we have the opportunity in our humanness to control
what we think will make us happy. For instance, if we suddenly become the
beneficiary of a large sum of money, we feel sure that we know precisely
how to spend it to make us happy. Very often, happiness as we humans
perceive it is something which is just a little bit elusive, yet the gauge to
determine success. Happiness though is generally dependent on receiving
or accumulating something and having the opportunity to determine its use.
The aspects of attaining happiness are dependent upon perceived
“positives”; happiness doesn’t come in negatives. And happiness is external.

Now joy; that’s a whole different entity. Joy carries with it the fundamental
soul needs innate to our being a creation of God and in His image. Part of it
is the realization of and confidence in our being known, connected, and
cared for. Another part of joy is the innate sense that the inciting factor in
producing joy stems from truth, that is, our spirit realizing the truth that
whatever is happening is precisely as God intended it to be, something good,
something right, something fruitful ~ certainly not good or right by man’s
self-centered assessments.

Furthermore, I don’t believe that those unexpected moments when we get a

lump in our throat, or teary eyes, or that sensitive ache, are based solely in
feelings of gladness either! No – I truly believe these reactions are based on
an ethereal REALITY, TRUTH that is difficult to define; our souls briefly
exposed to a rare glimpse of perfection, and, moreover, a perfection which is
innate and, in fact, remembered. Oh my, this is getting confusing isn’t it?
Let me try to explain:
I really do wonder if these exquisite moments of joy are, indeed, memories!
Not of real-time images, except as the inciting event, but rather, memories
from the very beginning, memories from the Garden, before the fall, when
Adam and Eve were yet sinless ~ glimpses of what was to have been – and
what indeed will be – holy memories embedded in man’s heart by God for all
eternity ~ indeed, the very appearance of God in fleeting, holy moments,
which is all that sinful humanness can tolerate this side of heaven. Our spirit
responds both happily to the beauty of God’s truth and righteousness in the
event but also with the ache of our own imperfection and the knowledge that
this sweetness will be brief, because intense joy moments are always brief
and our spirit indeed yearns for more. So this is joy ~ beautiful nudges of
Love confirming God’s undying, eternal connection to His human creation ~
special “love gifts,” brushes with holiness, previews of eternity. And the truth
of joy being founded in God and presented to us in godly moments such as
creation, His promises, and circumstances ordained by Him as being “right,”
allows us to experience joy in every moment of every hour of every day God
grants us breath.

Karen Vandermeer 2000