Sunday, August 30, 2009

"inexpressible and glorious..."

JOY.

have you ever tried to explain what joy is? a few days ago, i found myself caught up in this dilemma. how could i describe this feeling welling up within me? as lame as it was, i'll admit my first stop was dictionary.com:
"the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation"

but that just wasn't doing it for me. perhaps someone intelligent and well-known had something important to say, such as C.S. Lewis: "the very nature of joy makes nonsense of our common distinction between wanting and having."

well that's all well and good, but still not quite there. the joy i felt wasn't just an emotion or response, it was a...a way of being. like i said, how do you explain that?!?

so then i looked where i should have started in the first place--my Bible. and that's when i stumbled upon this passage in 1 Peter 1:8:
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 goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

finally, an answer to my question! joy, the gift from God given to those who believe, the inexpressible and glorious feeling of knowing that He loves us and has saved us. wow.

i can't begin to describe all the ways i've felt joy lately. today, Joy was found in discovering my new kitchen has awesome acoustics while singing songs of worship too loudly and making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for an amazing a cappella group(CHoosE shout-out!). last week, it included hanging out with a 3rd grade girl who has the most AMAZING and joyful laugh that seriously makes my soul smile; seeing old friends and realizing how blessed i am by them, especially by the fact that they work everyday to see past my faults; the presence of LIFE--the buzz of my neighborhood, of Uva, of mosquitoes. God is so alive and so abundant--how could i not sing for joy!

this blog is for that reason, an outlet for me to express the joy in my soul. joy is to be shared in, wept in, sung in, rejoiced in; i invite you in along with me for this journey in exploring the Joy of God.

4 comments:

  1. now you have spread that Joy around :) thank you. miss you and LOVE YOU !

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  2. I really enjoyed this post. This particular blog demonstrates one of the most important things about joy: that it is not only self-fulfilling, but self-giving. It is something we should seek to possess, but more importantly it is something to pass on. You correctly identified joy as a “gift” from God to us. Hopefully we can all become more like our Father by giving this gift to others. I also hope that this blog will continue to inspire joy in those who are fortunate enough to read it.

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  3. but you still love my cookies... =)

    ReplyDelete