Advent 2020: Week 3-Choose Joy

The third week of the Advent season focuses on joy – spiritual joy. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires,” but I disagree with this definition on a spiritual level. Joy isn’t something we can experience just because things are going well for us. We can experience joy even in the midst of heartbreak, betrayal, and a myriad of other emotions. The difference between joy as defined here and spiritual joy is a choice.

Even when things are not going according to plan or as a result of “well-being, success, or good fortune,” we can choose joy. Choosing joy does not mean denying that our circumstances are not ideal; it simply means choosing to be joyful anyway. It may be simple, but it is not always easy.

Here are three reasons why we should choose joy.

Even (or especially) when faced with trouble, choose joy.

James, Jesus’s brother, advises, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters (believers), whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2, 3 NIV). Being a Christian doesn’t exempt us from the trials of life, but, as believers, we have a choice about how we will face those trying times. We can choose joy.

Choosing joy in the midst of hardship means looking to the One who “works all things for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28 NIV). We have to shift our perspective from our circumstances upwards – to God. In Him, we can experience joy no matter what is happening in our lives. As we continue to focus on Father God, though our faith may be tested, we grow in perseverance. Each successive trial strengthens us to withstand whatever the next ordeal brings our way.

Jesus came to set us free from sin and that’s reason enough to choose joy.

Peter makes a stunning point in First Peter, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8, 9). Without Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, we have no reason to be joyful; however, knowing that He has given us salvation, we should choose joy because we are redeemed from our sins.

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are no longer slaves to sin. This is a miracle in and of itself. Through no real effort on our part, we are reconciled with God and are fully part of God’s family. That’s reason enough to celebrate with praise and joy.

It is healthy for us to choose joy.

I don’t know about you, but I know when I begin to have the perspective of a glass half empty instead of a glass half full, it spills over from one thing to another to another until I have a negative attitude. Negativity drains me emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually, and it affects my relationships.

The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, addressed this very idea of negativity saying, “A joyful, cheerful heart brings healing to both body and soul. But the one whose heart is crushed struggles with sickness and depression” (Proverbs 17:22 TPT).

Choosing joy doesn’t have to be hard.
Find one thing to be grateful for every day.
Smile at someone else, even when you don’t feel like it.
Let someone know you’re thinking about them.

I’m not saying that there’s always a silver lining to whatever circumstance we find ourselves in; what I’m saying is that we have a choice. When we choose joy, we will find that there are more reasons to be joyful than not to be.

My challenge to you this Advent season is to try choosing joy and see where it leads you. You are blessed; now go be a blessing!