The Apostle Paul described his life once as “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” I think that this was an honest and real way to look at life. As Christians, we should be sorrowful at the results of sin and how it has fractured us and the world that we live in. We should be aware of our fragile and desperate state. We should also be ever rejoicing because Jesus has come to set us free, to give us life and to guide our lives into something meaningful.
If you are constantly sad, complaining, bitter, and depressed, be encouraged that there is hope in Jesus. If you have placed your trust in him there is reason to rejoice.
If you are overly happy, forcing a smile, and covering disappointment then allow yourself to grieve sometimes. It’s ok to admit something is wrong and needs to be fixed.
I believe this is why Paul could say “I have learned in whatever situation I am in to be content.”
Quick random-but-not-really-random thought: We have to make time for people.
All our planning, all our strategy, all our cultural awareness is for nothing if we’re too busy for people. Anyone who knows me knows I struggle with this. And this doesn’t mean that things still don’t have to get done, because they do. But we can work ourselves to death and if we’re too busy for the very people we’re laboring to see reconciled to God, well then it’s all been for nothing.
When people find out we’re starting a new church, their most common question in one form or another is, “What kind of church are you?” This is a tough question because there is so much I want to try to explain. But the truth is, though I could talk about this for hours, people really just want to know why it should matter to them.
One of the best ways to get at this to remember the language of joy. As a church, we’re about passionately pursing the joy that God intends for his creation to have. We do this by realigning our lives with Jesus’ mission, through the reconciliation with God that only he can bring.
John Piper popularized this idea by talking about what he calls Christian Hedonism. He says that, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” The only way we can really find joy is when we are living how we were always intended to live, connected to and in rhythm with our Creator. That often means living life differently than the world around us, because we are passionate about what God is passionate about. But in living that way we are no longer burdened by trivial matters. Our souls are free to experience real joy.
We need to remember the language of joy when we’re talking to people about what life following Jesus looks like. I heard a prominent pastor say that when people ask what he does, he tells them he is a teacher. When they ask what kind, he says “I teach hedonism” and then explains a life pursing joy by following Jesus. I like that.