What is the source of joy? ...

Tuesday, Feb 12, 2013. Remember the last time you were full of joy. When you were overwhelmed with joy. What was its cause? What happened? Was it your birthday, with big presents as a kid? Was it the day when you came together with your partner? Was it your promotion?

Character or special day? …

We are usually happy, if we get something which is of value for us. That can cause “great joy”. But some of us are happy, just because it is their character. There are people who are just happy all the time - not for particular reasons, but they find reasons. It seems their character works that way: happyness is their life concept.

There are others, who need strong input, to be happy. I just thought about a marriage we have been on a while ago. Marriages are days where everything is different. There is a basic tension. There is the spirit of expectation and of joy. Old friends meet there, and the bride and the groom are usually full of excitement. Happyness is all around a marriage.

Do we need such special days to be “very happy”? I also remember calm days, where I was sitting in a library with my computer and books. That made me happy. To have the time to do research for a day, without interruptions, without the need to care for this or that, just concentrating strongly on my work made me happy. To some extend, it was a normal day. But being normal was special for me, since my job now involves many meetings and science is turning into a reward.

God giving us directions …

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I feel amazement, when I read the bible, again and again. Looking into Psalm 100, it is intersting to read that we are called to be happy. We are called to be “very happy” indeed. It is not something which happens by chance!

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

And the writer gives reasons to us, why we shall be happy. We are his. Jesus has saved us. Since he lived, every day is special. In his life and death we get a huge present, which is enough for every day of our life - and for eternity. And we are invited to a marriage: we are the bride, he is the groom. We marry him - that is the image which the New Testament uses for our relationship to the Lord. It is a framework where deep joy is to come into our heart! ... more texts