When I walked up to the podium, I was met by an audience who looked as though they’d been served lemons for lunch. I was at a retreat to give a talk about soul care to a group of Christian women and it was our first afternoon plenary session. Speaking right after lunch is always challenging, but nodding heads and polite yawns soon fade as we get into the topic, especially when a little humor and a couple of question are is thrown in to warm everybody up. But this was far beyond heavy eyelids. It was more of a collective stink-eye. I carried on, but their frame of mind didn’t shift a whit.
What made the situation heartbreaking was that this was a group, not just of Christian women, but of active, caring, loving, beautiful Christian women. Yet for all their goodness and good works, they lacked joy. There was no lightness, merriment of spirit, or mirth in that room—no joy in Mudville that day. Unlike in the poem, no one had struck out. This was a day dedicated to being in God’s presence, a day planned in which to fully partake in the promise of John 15:11 “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Let’s read that again.
What could be more joyful in life than partaking of God’s spiritual fruit of joy? Unfortunately, some fail to take Jesus’ message to heart because joy isn’t part of their understanding of God. Yet, it wasn’t God who gave joy a bad rap among Christians, it was the guilt and heavy hand of shame and control laid on people through the centuries by the medieval church and our Puritan forefathers. It makes me sad to see Christians sit by with lips pursed and stiffened to the point where they look and act like they continuously suck lemons. They miss out on God’s sweet fruit by replacing joy with suspicion of frivolity, lack of godly commitment, or even sin! What’s sadder is that having no joy in their hearts leads these folks to resent, if not put down or drown out, the joy in others’ hearts. What they fail to understand is that pouring scalding water of disdain and negativity, eyebrow raising, dour expressions, and whispering behind the backs of joyous people is born of trying to control their joyful hearts.
Two of my favorite pieces of artwork are on the grounds of the old Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, California. One is a statue of Jesus walking, almost running, on the water of a large pool. One arm is extended to greet us who observe from the edge while the other arm is raised to wave at us. His face is warm and his eyes loving. Seeing it makes me want to run to him for a big hug. Even as I write, my heart overflows with pure joy thinking about the possibility. The second statue depicts Jesus welcoming children who are running toward him. He carries a lamb around his shoulders and is laughing with an open mouth. They are joyous. He is joyous! Thinking of this statue brings me to joyful tears.
God’s joy is meant to be the catalyst for change and transition deep within our souls. After seeing those statues and feeling their spiritual power, I had a greater understanding of how partaking of God’s joy helps me better understand Jesus’s nature. Picturing him as joyfully reaching for us who waited for him at the side of the pool deepened and recharged my relationship with him.
The connection with God’s joy most often comes from being with or knowing others who are joyful. 
We’ve all experienced this. God’s fruit of joy is contagious. It’s a severely lemony heart that fails to delight in hearing preschoolers sing at the top of their voices about having joy, joy, joy down in their hearts; then about the love of Jesus; then about the peace that passes understanding that comes out more the “peeth the patheth understanding.”
Sharing the fruit of joy is the same as with sharing God’s other fruit. As we spread joy to all we meet, our joy becomes their joy (sound familiar?), and their joy will become others’ joy. With each act of sharing, we set in motion unstoppable ripples of joy God intended for us.
Over the next month, let’s make a point of feeling and sharing God’s joy. If negativity, disdain, or resistance is your usual approach to most of life, start by asking God to help you remove the blinders to where you lack joy. Then take the next step by inviting the Holy Spirit to direct you to see the sources of joy around you. It’s not that there is or has been nothing to be joyous about, it’s that we’ve failed to recognize it along the way. Finally ask Jesus to stand beside you for support as you begin to open your heart to the joy around you. Once you have opened your heart, there is nothing but unstoppable joy ahead.
Grace and Love,
- Karen Kaigler-Walker
Horizon Texas Conference Spiritual Growth & Soul Care Coordinator
