I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be joyful. There is a definite difference between joy for the moment and a joy that is eternal and I’m really fascinated about the vast difference in the ways that I have experienced the two.
Joy for the moment for me most recently has been experienced through:
3rd Graders: I am student teaching this upcoming spring and this past week I met my third graders. The first day of school was a marvelously exhausting day but I sincerely loved every moment of it. I was delighted to be reminded that I chose elementary education as my major FOR THE KIDS; I had lost sight of that. As each student filed into the classroom, my smile grew larger and larger. PLUS, I have gotten to use Spanish with a handful of my student’s parents and speaking in Spanish brings me joy too.
Homemade pancakes and real talk: learning how to flip a pancake, though a little frustrating and difficult for me…was absolutely hilarious. I think by the end of my pancake flipping lesson the counter was also caked with pancake batter and maybe one or two of my pancakes was circular shaped. I couldn’t stop smiling and I was completely bursting with joy as we consumed our misshaped pancakes and talked about Jesus.
A glorious game night: This past Saturday night a hodge podge of people gathered at Blue Kenan and played games for almost 5 hours…until about 3 in the morning! We played fishbowl (a crowd favorite), some game that Jonathan Edwards made up where you say that first words that come to your mind, and a great new game called 4 on the couch. If you’re interested in how to play, hit me up. Best game ever.
Tea party and pastries: My sweet friend of mine is 22 today and this past Sunday afternoon we went to the Carolina Inn for a tea party to celebrate. The main reason this evoked joy in me was because of the incredible group of girls I was surrounded by but tasting different types of tea and devouring way too many chocolate covered strawberries and scones definitely added to the joyous experience.
A joy that is eternal:
I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I believe that His word is powerful and true in every sense. I believe that Jesus is the son of God and the Savior of the world. He is the one who has saved me from myself. He died on a cross, a gruesome death, so that I…WE could all be freed from the sin that enslaves us. He took my place and died the death that I deserve and therefore I stand before God, blameless and pure. It is an incredible realization to know of my sinful, human, messed up nature, but to understand that it doesn’t matter to God because of Jesus. He LOVES us, this I know and I find eternal joy in that.
All of that stuff sounds like bliss right? We deserve to die but instead Jesus died for us and now we have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him in heaven. But the Gospel goes on to say that the whole world is not going to buy into that incredible gift. Jesus was hated and crucified. His disciples were scoffed at and hated too. In John 15, it says that we as followers of Christ will be hated by the world when we stand up for what we believe is truth. We are called to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Philippians 1:29 says: “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” Suffering is scary. Being hated is terrifying for a people pleaser like me. But I am called and blessed to have the privilege of suffering and being hated for the sake of the truth of the Gospel. I find eternal joy in that.
I’m a member of Psalm 100 and I know full well that we are going to be hated. Over the past few days my heart has been ripped into pieces for a very close friend of mine and for a ministry that is very close to my heart and a huge part of my life. A heart wrenching and devastating decision had to be made and it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I have found it difficult to stop my tear ducts from exploding constantly and am actually surprised that I still have tears to cry. As crazy as the decision that we felt called to make may seem to the world, I have decided to follow Jesus and I believe in the Gospel in its entirety. I pray that the world would know that this is not an issue of judgment or of hate or of discrimination but rather an issue based on the Gospel that I believe is truth. I am completely willing to talk about the decision with anyone who has questions.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” James 1:2
Praying for joy,
Katy
