An Act Of Resistance
There is a commercial currently out that says, “joy is an act of resistance”. Best I can tell, the poet Toi Derricotte made those words famous in recent days (before the commercial used them). I can’t place myself in her situation to understand her perspective, but her words certainly are impactful. There are several things that I take away from the quote. First, that joy is an act, a thing we do, action. It is more than a state of mind or perspective on the day. Second, as an act, there is an implication that joy is a choice. The logical conclusion from that implication is that joy is less dependent on circumstance than intention. James 1:2-4 expresses that very thing. To be joyful in the face of difficulty seems counterintuitive, but James says just that. Our choice to follow Christ is bound to bring difficulty and challenge, but there is a deep joy (not to be confused with our current cultural pursuit of transient happiness) that comes when our good choice to follow God, is confirmed with adversity.
Not only is joy something that we can experience in the face of trial, but joy is causal. Gal. 5:22 impresses on us the results of being led by the Spirit. One of those results is joy! The choice of being joyful is rooted in and as a result of our choice to be Spirit led. Being Spirit led certainly changes our view of this life. We operate at a different level. The understanding of our relationship with God’s direction, revealed to us in His word creates joy!
Along those lines, Phil. 4:4 tells us that we should be joyful in something greater than ourselves. Rejoicing, having joy, “in the Lord”. In who He is, what He means to us, where He resides, what He is preparing for us upon His return and the love He has for us that drives it all. Those real-life facets of our relationship with the Creator of the Universe, are cause to celebrate every day.
You see, there is an underlying hope that informs our joy. A hope that results from our understanding of the final act of this play we all are a part of. Prov. 10:28 draws a stark comparison to the joy experienced by the righteous and the expectations of the unrighteous that ultimately come to…nothing. Building a close relationship with God, creates hope, which results in joy.
In spite of the bills we struggle to pay, the job we might simply endure, the ungodly direction our kid’s schools seems to take, the ongoing angst between countries with different ideas of success, or the ever lurking threats to health, wealth and peace, we can be joyful. So many inputs like those just listed, seem to be waves that toss us around, with or without our consent, but absolutely nothing can take away the deep, abiding, healing, sustaining and hope injecting joy that comes as a result of being in Christ. Today make a choice to resist the temporary, the negative and the material and choose joy.