"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Remember this song?! I certainly do!
Well, this is all cute and cuddly but what are the real statistics?
In this article from the New York Times, there are more deaths from suicide than car accidents. In fact in 2010, "there were 33,687 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 38,364 suicides".
The CDC reports that 1 in 10 US adults report depression.
ChildHelp shows these statistics among many others:
It's not often you hear that a completely joyful person just flipped a switch and started killing people in a movie theater, taking their own life, planting bombs in subways or randomly abusing their children. And if such a story exists, that person wasn't truly joyful.
Maybe America should focus its efforts on creating my happiness instead of more restrictions to freedom. Saying a gun is responsible for killing is like saying a spoon is responsible for over eating. The caretaker of the crops is responsible for what is in the harvest. If America took this stand to hold fast to Proverbs 17:22, what would that look like?
Well, first we would need to redefine what brings joy. It's obviously not money, fame, influence, power, skill, talent or status. How many celebrities have had all of the above and still have taken their life or been depressed? Ok, so what does joy really mean?
Webster says:
Joy - a feeling of great happiness
Money may bring happiness, but only temporary.
Talent and skill may bring happiness, but only temporary.
Power may bring happiness, but only temporary.
Can we just look at what the Bible says about joy, please?
- Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Joy and peace are coinciding here, leading to hope. Not just a feeling of happiness. Hey, I like this already.
- John 16:22-24 "So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."
Jesus is talking to the disciples in this passage. He is telling them that their sorrow will turn into joy and that they will remember the sorrow no more! That no one can take their joy away. Everlasting joy that can't be taken from us. What a foreign concept!
- Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Joy is the 2nd item on the list. The fruit of the Spirit. The very nature of God is joy accompanied by all of those other wonderful attributes. Do you want depression medicine with a side effect of nausea and fatigue, or do you want joy with a side of kindness, peace, goodness, love, gentleness, etc? It is part of God's character to exude joy and shower it on us!
- Philippians 2:1-2 "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind."
Like a parent who is joyful when their children are sharing and being kind to one another, it is the same for us. Joy is dwelling in peace with one another. Even more, being of like mind. This is not merely tolerating the person next to you but having common goals and mutual interest in creating a peaceful, joyous atmosphere. Yes, please, I want that!
- James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Even though we don't like to struggle, it is part of life. We are people with free will interacting with other people with their own set of free will and life experiences. Discord will exist as long as we are still on this earth. But how awesome is it that we can take struggles, trials, obstacles and count them as joy because we are increasing our steadfastness to be lacking in nothing. Joy and patience combines? Um, yeah I would say the world needs more of that.
- 1 John 1:1-4 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete."
John is sharing with us what was revealed to him so that his joy may be complete. Sharing with others your good news will complete your joy. When something wonderful happens, most people don't just keep it to their self. They share with the world wide web, they call their parent, mentor, sibling, best friend, spouse. You do this almost subconsciously because the human nature craves fellowship and companionship. We were created to share in our joy.
Well, all of this seems to be the opposite of the world. And we are lamenting and wondering why the world is in shambles!
What is the problem? The problem is that most people don't witness this type of joy in others.
If you read the articles or talk to the general public about Christians, the median consensus is that Christianity is full of judgment and hypocrisy. What a sad reality! But again, blaming Jesus for His children's behavior is like blaming the water for someone drowning. The water has a purpose but it's what you do with and in the water that decides your fate. Unfortunately, we can't just tell everyone to just believe in God or just read the Bible. Using the "do what I say, not what I do" tactic hasn't been very successful in the past.
People follow what attracts them. People watch movies that have good ratings. They mimic the style and fashion of the people they admire. Children become mirror images of their parents or a "chip off the old block". This is why you see a 5th generation military soldier. This is why you hear the phrase "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". This is why you don't want your children hanging out around a bad circle of friends. People are influenced by what is around them. For better or for worse, we are influenced. Period.
So why does the world have higher and higher suicide and depression rates when we are in an age where almost everything we could want is available and attainable? Because they see what they want, they go for it and it returns void. I saw what I thought I wanted in my ex husband. He made me feel important and beautiful in the beginning. It returned void and I am a single parent. Whitney Houston had anything and everything she wanted at the snap of her fingers and in the end of her life, it returned void. (Rest in peace, Whitney. The world was blessed with your talent.)
People see what they want and chase after it. So why do people not flock to the church doors? Why do people not chase me down in the mall and ask me questions?
Because they don't see anything they want.
How is this possible?!?!?! How is it possible that we have been given the greatest gift anyone could possess - a gift that is free to the world, a gift that is food for the hungry and complete satisfaction and freedom to a dying and depressed world - and yet no one sees anything they want in us? Why is it we are daily allowed to dwell within His Spirit and presence, yet they don't see anything they want? Because I am flawed. I talk about love and then I lash out in anger. I talk about joy and yet I have sad days. They see me scolding Ryot for busting a glass candle in WalMart. Some might even say I'm a hypocrite. I am flawed. I have made mistakes and I will make more in the future. The general public looks at Christians to be a direct correlation to God's character.
Is this a lot of responsibility? Yes.
Is there a lot at stake here? Yes.
But does God fully equip me and walk with me through every circumstance to show me how to live and respond to the curves of my journey? Absolutely, yes!
All I have to do is listen. Channel into Him and meditate on His words and promises. He IS faithful. He WILL provide. Now we need to start living like we believe it!
I wonder what it would look like if people saw us embracing those around us instead of holding signs in protest?
I wonder what is would accomplish if we adopted children and spent our money on wiser things to help people around us instead of accumulating more stuff?
I wonder how many people would change if we were approachable, open, vulnerable and honest about our flaws instead of pretending like we have it all together?
I wonder what radical change we would see in the world!?
Our priority should be people.
Stuff is nice. A college degree might get you a better job that might get you more money. A pretty wife might give you beautiful children with beautiful family portraits.
But without love, it's nothing.
Without love, it's just another statistic.
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