“Joy is the most vulnerable of emotions.” Brene Brown says it from the stage of a conference I attended a few years ago and the words echo in my mind for days.
Our culture tends to think of joy as a fluffy emotion. Cotton candy of the heart.
But since that day I heard Brene I’ve looked deep into joy and I’ve found what she said is true. Joy takes tenacity, strength, courage and persistence. It requires living with our hearts open, sharing ourselves with others, daring to pursue what God has for us.
Being cynical is easy.
Criticism is safe.
Complaining is simple.
But joy? It means you’re at risk of being disappointed, losing something you value, being hurt by those around you.
So we live in a paradox: we want joy and yet we fear it. When we get close to it, we might even sabotage ourselves so we feel safe again. And the idea of using joy to point us in the direction of our God-sized dreams can seem downright scandalous. Yet here’s what’s real: We were created for Eden. God brought His people into a Promised Land and promises us the same through “life to the full.” And we’re headed for heaven.
It’s inescapable: we will go through hard times but we are made to dwell in joy.
If you wonder if you’re afraid of joy, just think of a moment when your heart seemed especially full then suddenly you felt on guard. Maybe you thought, “This is too good. Something bad is going to happen.” Sound familiar? We all do that at times. That’s the part of our brains in charge of looking for threats kicking into gear {the amygdala}. That’s why joy makes us feel vulnerable, at risk, exposed.
Yet we can chose “to be transformed by the renewing of your mind” {Rom. 12:2} by saying “I choose joy even when it’s scary.”
And even going one step further to say, “What is God telling me through what brings me joy?” {That’s what we’ll be sharing about in tomorrow’s link-up.}
If you are someone who embraces joy {or are slowly learning to, like me} then let me take a moment to encourage you…
You’re brave, strong and courageous. You’re living counter to our culture in a way that makes a difference.
We need more joy in our world.
We need more women like you.
Keep it up, friend.
XOXO
For Tuesday: Write a blog post that shares what brings you joy, especially when it comes to your God-sized dream and link it up. {If you don’t have a blog, you can share in the comments tomorrow}.
