defiant joy

​When Chance called me and asked me to write this blog, I honestly thought God was playing a joke on me. To be completely transparent, this season of life has been more different than I expected- it's funny how God works like that sometimes. Last year, I completed my undergraduate degree and played baseball where I finished with the best season of my career. I left to go play at Pepperdine University in Malibu with high hopes of continuing my career where I left off. This beautiful image played over and over in my mind, hitting home runs, winning games, and finishing my baseball career in glorious fashion. But, as life often does, I was thrown a curveball. This season has been filled with some of my worst performances of my career. 

​I want to address that I know and see that there are bigger problems and tragedies in our world that extend beyond a frustrating baseball season and poor batting average. I would never compare those struggles with mine, but in a sense, this season has been a depiction of the reality of life here on earth as we know it. We mount up these expectations and when they come shattering down, we are left confused, hopeless and if we are honest, a little angry. 

​The longer I have been walking with Jesus, the more I have begun to understand that the world we live in today views joy as a wishful dream, nearly unattainable. Joy is something we all crave and want, but it seems to come in moments that are here and there. Even this past week, when I walked up to hit, I glanced up at the scoreboard, only to be reminded of the batting average I wish didn’t exist, struck out, and frustratedly headed back to the dugout. At this moment, I was convicted. Joy did not own my heart. My circumstances and how I viewed them did. How am I supposed to talk about joy in a difficult season of my life? I think that is exactly the point God was making to me when Chance asked me to write this blog. Francis Chan quotes, “The bible teaches that true joy is formed in the midst of the difficult seasons of life.”

It is an uncomfortable reality, but joy is the fruit of difficult seasons. 

Rewind to the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is surrounded by eager crowds, anticipating guidance in a time of political and religious oppression.  It is easy though for us to forget who Jesus was in his time. He was a first century Jew oppressed in the Roman empire, a man hated by the religious powers of the time and was plotted to be killed. His opening lines from the Sermon on the Mount are a strong battle cry for any believer, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Jesus was not saying that you must be poor or poor in spirit to be blessed. According to the Key-Word Study Bible, “The Greek word blessed in these passages is makarioi which means to be fully satisfied. It refers to those receiving God’s favor, regardless of the circumstances'' (Desiring God). Jesus is calling to his crowds that those who are fully satisfied regardless of their circumstances are blessed. Isn’t that amazing and not only are they blessed but, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We live in direct contact with the source of ALL joy. Anybody can have this joy that seems to be unattainable. The only thing keeping you from having this is whatever you are choosing to put in your mind. We have the choice to choose joy in all circumstances. 

Just as Jesus calls us to a deeper understanding of joy and a transformed life in the Sermon on the Mount, His ultimate mission is to bring about a profound change within us. He desires not just a temporary substitute for joy, but a complete transformation of our hearts and minds. Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of sin and lies, offering us true and lasting joy that transcends circumstances (Galatians 5:1). This joy stems from our relationship with God and our alignment with His kingdom, allowing us to experience a profound sense of fulfillment and contentment even amidst life's trials and challenges.

Just as our perception of Jesus profoundly impacts our lives, shaping our understanding of God and ultimately influencing our character and actions, the concept of joy is intricately tied to our spiritual journey. A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” If you close your eyes and try to picture Jesus, what does your image of him look like? Most of us, myself included, often feel this sense that he is disappointed or a little angry. Whatever we believe about Jesus will directly impact us. John Mark Comer says it this way, “We shape the picture of God and then that picture shapes us.” Tozer’s insight underscores the significance of our thoughts about God, while John Mark Comer emphasizes how our beliefs about God shape us in profound ways. As we seek to understand and embody the joy that Jesus offers, we are called to defy the cultural norms and embrace a deeper, transformative joy that sustains us even in the face of despair and adversity. Joy is the steadfast confidence in the nature of God as he reveals himself to us. This is firmly grounded and grasped through a relationship with the creator of joy. 

I want to be a person of joy and love. I don’t want to be joyful because I have things circumstantially. That is what I am after this season and for the rest of my life. Like CS Lewis said, “there are a billion things that can steal our joy, but only one source from which we can receive it.” I hope this brings light to a circumstance in your life. I am praying for every reader who sees this to have defiant joy. Even in difficult times and moments that don’t make sense, I pray you would trust in His promises and run the race ahead of you. For Jesus tells us, blessed are those who are fully-satisfied regardless of their circumstances. 

-n0tbyconnor