2 - We are called to be life-giving fruit bearers.
Those two statements. That was last week's lesson on joy as I realized (AgAiN) how selfish I've been in wanting to have joy for myself. There's this competitive edge inside of me that wants to be known as the "best" at something...or at least better than you. Right now, it seems, I'm on a mission to be the best at joy (especially joy in the middle of hard). Yet, the Lord has convicted me that I'm not just to discover joy for myself, but to be a joy-giver, and to always be looking for ways to dispense joy to someone else. I've contemplated the "how" and for me the #1 answer seems to be this:
In an informal survey done by moi, the majority of folks interviewed gave the word people as their most frequently visited thief of joy. Those same folks said they felt that most of life's problems could be easily navigated, as long as they felt that relationships weren't being undermined, or that someone in their life was additionally "stirring the relationship pot." Most said that they felt they could handle anything if they had a good support system, cheerleaders to encourage them onward, people to really listen (not fix, just listen), extend the benefit of the doubt, live beside them free of judgment, and love them in their messiness. This list; it's summed up in one word: grace. I heard this, often: Why do the wounded keep getting wounded?
You and I, we're a lot like chickens. Put 'em in a pen; insert one with a small bloody wound...and watch what happens. The other chickens will peck at that small wounded bird until the wound is no longer small, but life threatening. Failure to help the wounded animal will ultimately lead to it being pecked to death. We do that, metaphorically, don't we? We, too, peck at the wounded. We peck at 'em behind their backs with hurtful words. We peck at 'em in their presence in pretension of friendship. We peck when we fake-listen. We peck when we offer advice without really knowing the situation. We peck when we insert our issues into their lives, when in reality, their story is nothing like ours. We peck when we fail to love like Jesus did...
Here's the thing about the word joy. In New Testament Greek, the word is "chara". There's a lot more to this word than just the translation of it to joy. It is the root for the word "charis," which is the Greek word we translate grace. So, no matter how we define joy, it includes the giving of life-dispensing grace! Here's what that says to me:
Remember Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross and scorned it's shame? His grace was magnified because of His joy! Even more, though: This explains for me one of the "why's" of joy: why we need to live a life of grace. Joy is a magnet. When we give away grace, we are giving away joy. It's that essence of Jesus' character that influences others to Him. When we live out joy-filled, grace-extended lives, the lost are drawn to Jesus. They are naturally attracted to Him. They see Jesus in us, "the hope of glory!" We are Jesus with skin on. We are Jesus spilling over and splashing a little bit of Himself on others in a refreshing spritz of JOY. It's not just the lost, though. More importantly, it's for each other as believers. Refreshing spritzes of JOY are so important when life heats up for those around us...when it is dry and uncomfortable. When we hurt and are in pain. When wounds are bloody, and need bandaging.
Let's give away grace...and watch JOY fill the hearts of those around us. What would happen, I wonder, to the church, if we were grace-givers, spritzing others with Jesus'-joy? I'm thinking it would be difficult to house the numbers that might flock to a chicken coop like that!
We are never more like Jesus (who for the joy set before Him endured the cross) than when we live a life of grace.
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