Where Has All the Joy Gone?

"Joy" has always been one of my favorite words; my affinity towards it being rooted back to my childhood.  One of my best friends in elementary school was named Joy.  Her infectious laughter, her willingness to attempt my careless stunts, her natural athleticism and ease on the soccer field, made her the measuring stick I compared myself to.  Her golden hair, nearly perfect smile, and the fact that all the boys thought she was "the pretty one," didn't hurt either.  Ever since I was eight, I've liked the name, and now more recently, I've loved the word itself.

So this morning, I spent some time in Philippians studying Paul's stance on finding joy in this life.  I was curious to what my Google had to say about joy and, spoiler alert- I was disappointed, albeit not shocked.  Merriam-Webster's definition of "joy" said this:

"Joy is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires."

:Insert stomach churning noises here: 

I am bothered by this definition for a couple of reasons. I will strategically lay them out in list form for easy reading. You're welcome. 

1) "Joy is the emotion evoked" 

The first part of this definition casts joy as another temporary and fleeting emotion, like anger or frustration.  According to this definition, joy is short-lived.  Furthermore, the word "evoked" implies that I have absolute control on bringing joy into my life, that if I want it hard enough, I can will it into existence.  I am troubled that anyone can rein in joy because I don't want to love a word that seems so circumstantial, so definite in time and scope.  I think the word is too beautiful to be in the same category as the other "feeling nouns". 

2)  "by well-being, success, or good fortune"

This part was difficult to swallow.  It's also why I am so quick to reject this definition of joy.  The joy described here can only be found when life is good, when all the little ducks are lining up nicely.  So what happens when the job falls through? When your life partner suddenly decides you're too hard and walks out?  When your whole world falls apart?  Basically, according to Merriam and Webster, along with financial, relational, and/or emotional stability, you can kiss joy goodbye too.  

Tough to swallow, huh?  

Instead of accepting Merriam-Webster's definition, here's my position on joy, which in all truthfulness, isn't my position at all.  

In Philippians, Paul lovingly thanks the Philippians for their gifts and prayers... all from behind prison walls.  Throughout these four short chapters, his tone is encouraging, loving, and above all else- gracious.  He feels genuinely blessed by the relationships he has cultivated with these people, praising God for their presence in his life.  

There it is... "praising God for their presence."  If we are to celebrate God everyday, we should be celebrating the people he has purposefully placed in our lives.  I believe this mindful appreciation for the people, not the things in our lives, will lead us to this enduring joy we are desperately seeking.  After all, the new iPhone will be replaced, the Uggs will get scuffed, the granite kitchen tile will get chipped (true story).  Joy rooted in things is bound to disappoint or fade.  But finding joy in an 8th grader's smile, or in a coffee date with your very-pregnant friend, or in a perfect goodnight kiss from someone special, well, that joy is not circumstantial.  That joy is lasting and comes from appreciating the people God has blessed you with. 

So why do we, and of course, I'm clearly talking about me, allow the negativity of this world to rob us from finding joy? 

Because it is all around us.  All the time.  Negativity permeates every inch of our lives, making it nearly, and I say "nearly" with intention, impossible to ignore.  Negativity wants to infiltrate the thing that brings us true, unadulterated joy- praising God for His blessings. Joy comes from praising God for the people He has strategically placed in our lives.  It comes from praising Him for loving us enough to send His son to trade our mess for His perfection, for making us pure and beautiful in His eyes.    

Reveling in God's grace and goodness is the key to finding joy. 

If Paul can find joy from behind prison walls, I can surely find joy in my life. 

So, there it is: even after finding my disappointing internet definition of joy, I am still fervently in love with the word.