Cultivating a Heart of JoySample

Cultivating a Heart of Joy

You and I do not have to look far to notice that the driving force of today's society is the pursuit of happiness.

When it comes to the pursuit of happiness, the message of the world goes something like this: happiness depends on you; all you have to do is look within yourself, and your actions alone are ultimately responsible for whether you find happiness in this life. These messages are subtly woven throughout every aspect of modern life with the goal of forming us into a certain kind of person.

However, as followers of Jesus, Scripture clearly states that the pursuit of happiness should not be our ultimate aim. Instead, we are called to shift our focus from what culture defines as happiness to a Biblical definition of joy. The kind of joy that the Apostle Paul wrote about in his letter to the Galatians (see Galatians 5:22-23).

Genuine joy is a condition of the heart, not a feeling or passing thought.

But how does the condition of our hearts become more joyful? In part, this heart transformation occurs due to three movements of the Spirit in our lives.

1. The movement from control to surrender. Happiness is heavily reliant on our ability to control the circumstances of our days in an effort to insulate ourselves from pain and suffering. In contrast, Jesus has called us as His apprentices to loosen our grip on control and instead choose a life of self-denial and surrender (See Luke 9:23).

2. The movement from self-reliance to dependence. As we move throughout our days, so many of our decisions come from a heart formed by the world's belief that happiness can be found by tapping into our inner strength. However, as we continually choose a posture of surrender over control, the Spirit of Jesus forms us into people who "trust in the Lord with all of our hearts" in every aspect of life (See Proverbs 3:5).

3. The movement from isolation to community. When happiness becomes our primary aim in life, we have no choice but to isolate ourselves from the people, places, and practices that stand in opposition to our beliefs, desire for safety, and pursuit of pleasure. This way of life stands in stark contrast to the communal lifestyle we see from Jesus' early followers in the New Testament.

As you go, press into the presence of Jesus. Ask Him to reveal to you any ways that you have adopted a worldly viewpoint on the pursuit of happiness. Surrounded by the protection of His unconditional love, take time to consider the condition of your heart and which of the three movements of the Spirit He is inviting you to lean into.