Blaise Pascal, a 17th century French mathematician, philosopher, and theologian, wrote in Pensées: “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.”
Every human being yearns for happiness. We go to great lengths to have joy in our lives; to laugh and see beauty; to find comfort and experience satisfaction, if ever so briefly. Counselors and psychologists have devoted whole careers to helping people find their joie de vivre. It’s part of why we are encouraged to be with people who make us smile, to see the good in things, to do the things we love and find purpose in our lives. We try our hardest to cherish the simple beauties in life, from a treasured memory to silly jokes, warm days and starry nights.
Looking to Christ
This drive that compels us to joy, however, is no mere superficial force. God created us to be joy-seekers, and the path is clear: true joy can only be found in Jesus.
In John 15:11, we see that the joy God wants for you is the joy that is within Christ. It is a joy that is not temporary or shallow. It’s a joy that will fill you to your depths. Jesus says, “That My joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.” Simply put: the joy that the Father wants for you is the pure and eternal joy that is within His Son.
How does that sit with you? Have you ever considered that the happiness God wants for you is the happiness and joy that Jesus has? Perhaps you may be wondering, “That’s great. But it’s still pretty abstract. What does this joy even look like?” If you wonder about these things, you’re not alone. I too have wrestled with this reality.
The Corruption of False Joy
Perhaps it will help to first eliminate what Jesus’ joy is not. For, Jesus’ joy is not the joy of this world. The latter is temporary and corrupt. It fades and can never truly satisfy. Whether it’s a delicious feast or an incredible vacation, the moment will eventually end, the experience will be over, and the joy becomes further and further a thing of the past. Entertainment, money, sex, sports, drugs, clubbing, alcohol, work, possessions, and prestige will all eventually fade and fail to fulfill our quest for long-lasting joy. They have their moments but these moments always end.
True and lasting joy cannot be found in either health and wealth. Money is temporary; it comes and goes. Similarly, our health is not a given. We live in a fallen world where we all will die (some sooner than others). Sickness is right around any corner. We cannot ever fully protect ourselves from the threat of car accidents or disease. That is God’s curse on the world, and to hope for joy in these places is futile.
Furthermore, the joy of this world is corrupt. It is corrupt because it is inherently self-centered. In our individualistic society, personal happiness is supreme over anyone else. We put our own joy and wants above our neighbors, our friends, even our family. My rights are more important than yours. My happiness means more to me than you. No matter who we think we are, we are all selfish and often go great lengths to satisfy ourselves at the cost of neglecting others.
The sad reality for most of us is that if we had to choose between helping someone else seek out their joy or experiencing our own, we would most likely choose the latter option.
Jesus’ joy is just the opposite of the world’s. His joy is not self-centered. Jesus does not put His rights above anyone. Jesus does not neglect anyone for His own happiness. His joy is pure, and it is eternal. Since Jesus is infinite, since Jesus never ceases to exist, His joy never ends either.
Brothers and sisters, this is the joy that Jesus wants for you. He wants you to experience His eternally pure joy. God wants you to experience eternally pure happiness. The question is: Do you want that joy?
Finding True Joy
I want to conclude by reflecting a bit further on Jesus’ joy and consider its source. In other words, where does Jesus’ joy come from?
If we look at John 15:10, we see that Jesus continually abides in the Father’s love as He has for all eternity past. In eternity past, before anything was created, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existed in perfect, loving harmony. The Father was loving the Son and Spirit. The Spirit was loving the Father and the Son. And the Son was loving the Father and Spirit. In the triune community of God, love ruled.
Jesus’ joy was rooted in the loving community of the Trinity. Jesus received joy from being in the presence of the Father and the Spirit. He received joy from being loved by the Father and Spirit, and this joy then continued as Jesus loved the Father and Spirit in return. In other words, Jesus received joy by abiding with the Father and Spirit. Joy is rooted in the holy, loving relationship of the triune God.
I hope these words today give you hope. God instilled a deep and spiritual desire in us all to seek out joy. We crave it from the very depths of our being. But it is not a futile pursuit. Both the catalyst for our desire and its fulfillment are found in the person of Jesus Christ. When we receive His love and love Him in return, our joy will know no bounds.
No matter our earthly situation, no matter what unhappiness presents itself in our day to day lives, we can be assured that we have Jesus, we have his love, and we can love Him in return. Nothing of this earth can keep us apart. The reality of your physical life is not powerful to change true joy. We don’t always have to be happy, but we can still have joy as long as we cling to the truth of who we are in Christ, and we seek that with all our heart, mind and body.
The drive that compels us to joy is no superficial force. God created us to be joy-seekers, and the path is clear: true joy can only be found in Jesus Christ. Click To Tweet
