Joy

"Finally brethren, rejoice in the Lord." - Philippians 3:1

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice." -Philippians 4:4

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

So here is the challenge: simply put, I am not a joyful person. Never have been - funny yes, occasionally gregarious of course, but joyful: nope. Which is is concerning the above referenced verses.

Paul was a man of joy - that much flows from all of his letters. More amazingly (I suppose to me) he was a man of joy in the face of all circumstances: persecution, death threats, travel extremities, working as a tent maker, and finally death itself. Or Christ as another example, who "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross..." (Hebrews 12:2a).

The reality is a lack of joy is severely impacting my life. I notice it. The Ravishing Mrs. TB notices it. Na Clann notice it. I suppose all those around me notice it as well - great testimony for Christ, huh?

The other reality - at least from what I can glean from Scripture - is that joy is something which comes from God. It's listed as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. It's based on our relationship with Him, not within our circumstances.

(That's easy to write of course - it's much more difficult to live out on a daily basis when in so many aspects of your life, you feel out of water and trapped.)

So if true joy is not something one can manufacture but it is something we are commanded to do, and joy is a gift from God, how does one reconcile the two in one's life? How do I create that which feels so often to be manufactured?

Ask? Is it as simple as that? But the commands from Paul are for us to be active: "Rejoice", "Rejoice Always". And the writer of Hebrews notes that Christ saw the joy before Him.

The key is there - I just need to find it.