Last fall when Bay and I took a Sabbath Day and drove up into the mountains, we stopped along the way to picnic. The entire time, we fought off cute-little-birds that tried to steal our food right off the make-shift picnic table. Camp Robbers. They weren’t even sneaky, just fast. Before you knew it, they’d snatched up anything we’d set down.
I’d even made a very small snowman that sat on the table (remnants of ice, really, from an early snowfall), and put a carrot tip on his round head for a nose, and some popcorn kernels for eyes, and the little guys stole my snowman’s face. They were in and out before I even knew what had happened. Once I knew these little fellows were around I was able to make a few changes to keep anything significant from being taken from under my nose.
I’ve noticed a theme spring up over the last couple of weeks as I’ve studied joy. The focus seems to be more on those things in life that steal away our joy. Joy Robbers. Like Camp Robbers, Joy Robbers aren’t really sneaky, but they are quick, and they leave us wondering “what in the world just happened to my joy?” It helps to be aware of their possible presence, 1) so we’re not caught off guard, 2) so we can be quicker to recover our joy, and 3) so we can be, in some part, preventative. This said, I have a specific direction to explore the next few weeks.
Camp Robber #1. Unrealistic Expectations.
Recently, I read this quote from C.S. Lewis: “We have a tendency to reject the good that God offers us because, at that moment, we expected some other good.”
I also listened to a podcast from a message by Dr. Del Housaye (covering for Pastor Rasmussen at Scottsdale Bible Church). His sermon topic was contentment (which, by the way, the Apostle Paul uses contentment as a synonym for joy). Dr. Del Housaye’s take on why we tend to struggle with contentment is that we have a “nose problem.” I’m sorry? A nose problem? Yes! I’m too busy putting my nose in other’s lives, seeing what they have, and am, therefore, unhappy with what’s in my own life.
Call it covetousness (“You shall not take delight in, desire greatly…anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17) or greed (“Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed…” Colossians 3:5), by either name it simply means I am not content with what I have. In fact, what I do have is a “more problem.” I want more. Sometimes it’s even with good intentions.
More ministry.
More education.
More friends.
More time.
Sometimes it’s not so good.
More money.
More stuff.
More control.
More attention.
The whole point of Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes is to emphasize that WHATEVER we are chasing after, which is “under the sun” is like “chasing after wind.” Unobtainable. Futile. Meaningless. What is important is that which is “above the sun” where Christ is seated (Colossians 3:1-2). My “more problem” will never bring joy…only emptiness.
So what’s the answer – how do I keep this Camp Robber from taking my joy, or get it back if he has? Look beyond the blue! Focus my eyes (and my nose) on that which the Lord has done for me, and with what He is currently blessing me… There’s this, from Colossians 4:2, “Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude (Message). There’s also this: The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy (Ps. 126:3)!
It’s already been said (a few blog entries back), but it’s, also, something that needs re-visiting: Joy is rooted in gratitude. Gratitude, the opposite of greed, takes nothing for granted, finds delight in the small things of each and every day, and discovers contentment in all things.
