Did you ever lose your joy?

Did you ever lose you joy? I know there have been times in my life when I have, and I suspect there are times when you have as well.

I recently was talking with a pastor friend of mine who was going through a rough patch in his life. He was struggling to find a sense of purpose in his life and in his ministry, but it had eluded him.

He was thinking of leaving his church, and one day he was talking to a friend about his situation. "I am just unable to find any joy in my ministry anymore," he told him.

The wise friend said he knew the answer: "You are looking for joy in the wrong place. You will never find it in your ministry, nor will you find it in your finances, your family, or anything else. The kind of joy you are seeing will never be found in anything related to life's circumstances for joy that is of lasting value can only be found in the Lord".

My friend told me those words completely transformed his thinking about his ministry, and I am happy to say he decided to continue pastoring his church. My friend, like many of us, was looking for joy "in all the wrong places."

Joy that is permanent and transformational is never found in life but only in the Lord.

The Bible reminds us "the joy of the Lord is our strength." Joy comes from Jesus

Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord, always" and that includes in the midst of every trial and every circumstance.

Biblical counselor Larry Crabb writes, "Many of us place top priority not on becoming Christ like in the midst of our problems, but on finding happiness. I want to be happy, but the paradoxical truth is that I will never be happy if I'm concerned primarily with becoming happy. My overriding goal must be in every circumstance to respond biblically, to put the Lord first, to seek to behave as he would want me to. The wonderful truth is that as we devote all our energies to the task of becoming what Christ wants us to be, he fills us with joy unspeakable and a peace far surpassing what the world offers."

He continues, "Paul said it was his ambition (goal) not to become happy, but to please God at every moment. What a transforming thought! When I drive my car to work and someone cuts me off, when my kids act up during church, when the dishwasher breaks . . . my primary responsibility is to please God" (Effective Biblical Counseling, Lawrence Crabb, pp. 20-21).

Simply put, if you want to be happy, you won't find it by seeking after happiness which is so elusive. You will only find it through seeking God. And when you do, you will not only discover happiness in the process, but something even greater—joy, real joy that is never dependent on circumstances, but is always dependent on the Lord.

I am not sure who said it, but long ago I committed it to memory: "Joy is the flag flying high above the castle of the heart, announcing that the king is in residence there."

So, let's hoist high our flag and boldly wave it for all to see the King who resides at home with our hearts.

Don't miss any of this great content! Sign up for our twice-weekly emails: