Cabin Fever: A Journey Toward Joyনমুনা

Stir Crazy

Cabin Fever. We all know that feeling and there is a lot of it going around in this season.

You might be reading this in the days of COVID-19 quarantines (when it was written), or you are suffering from the feeling of cabin fever due to sickness or the sickness of a loved one. Or maybe you’re battling internal cabin fever in a season that has you feeling trapped in your mind, confined in sin, or imprisoned in heartache. The Apostle Paul knew a thing or two about feeling stir-crazy as he penned many of his books from jail, literally confined to a cell. If Paul can face what he did and live a life of hope, kindness, and courage, it makes me think we can too.

Paul’s life begs the question: What caused him to be so kind? The answer? Joy.

Joy (or some variation of the word) is mentioned 18 times in the short four chapters of Philippians. There is more good news in this book than in any of Paul's other writings. Paul focuses on the bright side of his situation, because, just like despair, joy is a choice. Here are three ingredients that made Paul’s joy complete, which I believe will give you the power to walk in joy too.

Unselfish Pragmatism

Pragmatism, at its worst, can come across as cold or too calculated, focusing only on how I can make this work out the best for me and move on. But Paul had an unselfish pragmatism. He had a heart that basically said, “If God wanted me out of this prison, I would be out. But here I am, so He must want me here.” As a result of Paul being chained, he got to share the gospel and see many come to faith in Christ. The Message put it this way: “[by locking me up] they didn’t shut me up, they gave me a pulpit!”

And so it is in your suffering. God has a plan for you. You can be sad about the reality of your situation—and there is nothing wrong with that—but don’t live there. There is invincibility that arrives when you realize that what happens to you doesn’t have to control you. You always have the choice to rejoice.

Unveiled Confidence

The hope you’re meant to have isn’t one that is meant to be overly sanitized, naive, or unrealistic. There is a tension that needs to be balanced between being honest and open, acknowledging that the situation you’re walking through is not opportune, but at the same time confiding in the confidence that you’re going to get through this. Yes, this world is broken, but Jesus is on the throne.

Unambiguous Definition of Success

Always bring it back to why. This is leadership and life 101. Paul had an agenda, a clear, unwavering, and unambiguous agenda in life: To bring glory and fame to Jesus. It's been said the greatest tragedy in life would be to succeed at the wrong thing, to climb a ladder that is leaning against the wrong wall. If your number one thing is Christ and His glory, whatever comes your way, your salvation can never be taken from you.

So what do you do when you feel stir-crazy? Stir like crazy. Stir up love and good works (Hebrews 10:24), stir up the gift of God that is in you (2 Timothy 1:6), stir up your pure minds (2 Peter 3:1). When you feel like you’re being stirred like crazy, stir your own heart up to do God’s will with a heart to bring Him glory.