Joie de Vie
Joy
of life, that’s what joie de vie means according to WordHippo. ‘Joie de vivre’
is similar and basically means the same thing with a bit more emphasis added:
exuberant enjoyment of life (Google Dictionary). How is your joie de vie these
days?
A
month ago, I was feeling that my province was a tinder box ready to explode
with the slightest provocation. Now however, I feel as though the fight has
been taken out of her. What’s the use? Our voices are falling on deaf ears. There
is a sense of apathy or hopelessness, a ‘walking with arms hanging down’. We
have lost our joie de vie.
Paul
of the Bible, in his letters to various churches of the day, mentions that at
times he too lost his joie de vie. But…but he always comes back to the source
of all joy, his relationship with Jesus the Christ. In the midst of deplorable
circumstances, he does not deny that it sucks but he turns his eyes to Jesus
every time. He, of anyone, has the authority to speak to our circumstances exhorting
us to give thanks and be joyful. Paul is able to rejoice in his suffering
because he takes an honest inventory of the blessings he has, in comparison to
what he has paid. The cost of serving Jesus was huge. But the privilege of
being called a child of God far outweighed the cost. He was beaten, whipped
(scourged, which is worse than we can imagine), and stoned to within an inch of
his life. In the end he lost his head via Nero’s sword.
I,
in my comfortable middleclass life, have gone soft as have many people I talk
to. We have grown accustomed to rights and freedoms and see them as something
we deserve. Stuart Briscoe in The Communicator’s Commentary: Romans says
on page 170, “[there is] a contemporary assumption that we should be free from
pain and should be guaranteed pleasantness.” I find entitlement so offensive in
others but in myself it is quite acceptable, justifiable (again the sarcasm). As a child of God, I carry His Life-giving
Spirit within me. If you are His child, you too have His Spirit of Life in you.
“And Christ lives within you, so even though
your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you
have been made right with God.” (Romans 8:10, NLT)[emphasis mine]
Perhaps
it is time to rise up and show the watching world around me the hope I have
because of Christ, the rights, freedoms, privileges I have because I am one of
God’s kids. These rights and freedoms are of a different world than the one I
presently occupy. These rights and freedoms cannot be infringed upon, altered,
or stolen. I have been given the right to be called a child of God. My freedom
has been paid for with the costly blood of Jesus. What a privilege to be part
of Creator’s family.
I found these
treasures that talk about rights, freedoms, and privilege.
“But to all who believed him and accepted him,
he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12, NLT)
“See how very much our Father loves us, for he
calls us his children, and that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a, NLT)
“We have freedom now, because Christ made
us free. So stand strong. Do not change and go back into the slavery of
the law.” (Galatians
5:1, NCV)
“By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been
given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.”
(Ephesians 3:7, NLT)
“For you have been given not only the privilege
of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.”
(Philippians 1:29, NLT)
[Emphasis mine]
Why
would I caterwaul about the loss of my rights and freedoms and privileges here
on earth that will one day pass away, when I have rights and freedoms and
privileges that will last through all eternity?! What is the watching world
learning from my behaviour?
King
David is another example of a person whose joie de vie is not so strong from
time to time. He was anointed the king of Israel but the time between his
anointing and his ascending to the throne is fraught with trauma, running for
his life, and unrecognized authority. He wrote Psalm 57 during a season of
running from the present king who was seeking to destroy him. He had every
right to be the king yet here he was a fugitive hiding out in a cave with a few
of his buddies. He does not ignore or sweep under the rug the struggle he is
facing but in the light of God’s faithfulness his soul is buoyed up; his joie
de vie returns.
“My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart
is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises! Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O
lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, among
all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing
love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be
exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the
earth.” (Psalm
57:7–11, NLT)
I
have felt my joie de vie waning somewhat lately. The world is in chaos, our
country is in trouble, our province isn’t faring so well economically, or
emotionally for that matter. The future looks a little bleak to say the least. If
everyone would just do what I think is best the world would be such a happier
place. (Be honest, you’ve thought the same thing).
What
has happened to my faith? How did I move from placing my confidence in my
sovereign God to placing it in the hands of man? No wonder I’m losing my joy! As
I read Psalm 57, I found my heart soaring again. My heart is confident in God
alone. I will thank you, Lord. I will sing your praises among the nations. May
your glory shine over all the earth.
Paul
had seen his brothers and sisters in Christ beheaded, cut in two, burned on
poles, etc. This is what he says to his people:
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood
enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against
mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly
places.” (Ephesians
6:12, NLT)
We’re
not fighting against Presidents, Prime Ministers, Premiers, or globe-trotting
MLAs. We are in a war against the enemy of our souls, God’s enemy, the devil,
the deceiver, the one seeking to steal, kill, and destroy. No one can steal
your joy; you can only give it up.
This
was Paul’s battle plan to defeat our true enemy:
“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every
occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers
everywhere.” (Ephesians
6:18, NLT)
We
are being tested more severely than many of us ever have before. We need each
other. Just because we cannot meet in large groups or in our homes does not
mean we cannot pray for each other and cheer each other on. If ever we needed a
cheering squad it is now. So my friends, let’s rise up together.
“So take a new grip with your tired hands and
strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that
those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.” (Hebrews 12:12–13, NLT)
How is your joie de vie? Mine is much improved.
If
you enjoy music, I have added a link to a song that helped me regain my focus
this morning.
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