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A cartoon pictured a man in a doctor's office getting a physical examination. The doctor came out of his private office with papers and a chart to give the patient results of the tests. The doctor said: "Well, I see no reason why you can't live a perfectly normal life as long as you don't try to enjoy it."
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Psalm 16 (NLT)
1 Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.
2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
Every good thing I have comes from you.”
3 The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them!
4 Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
or even speak the names of their gods.
5 Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
6 The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!
7 I will bless the Lord who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
My body rests in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
11 You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.
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The Christian is to have a joy that cannot be taken from her. Note Jesus' words to his disciples, when he refers to his return to them after his resurrection:
21When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. 22So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (John 16.21-22, NRSV).
Such spiritual joy is profound gladness arising from intimacy with Divine Spirit. Psalm 16 refers to this intimacy. The psalm heralds "my heart is glad" and "I rejoice." The psalmist is assured of Spirit giving "the joy of your presence" and "pleasures of living with you" always.
Joy, then, is not circumstantial. Joy is relational. Joy is about "presence," God's presence experienced personally by you.
The psalmist addresses "pleasures" in living with God always. C. S. Lewis wrote of the role of desire in holy pleasure.
Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
Yes, we can easily be too easily pleased, when the Divine Presence offers us Herself. Our desire for God should be such that it pushes aside any lesser pleasure that would alienate us from intimacy with Spirit.
Being human, we have fluctuation in our emotional state. Also, in our spiritual journey we undergo times of dryness in feelings of intimacy with God and joy. What can we do? Well, to help in such times, acting as though we have joy can reconnect us with joy. Thich Nhat Hahn, the Buddhist contemplative, wrote: "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."
Accepting times in which joy seems to elude us is very important. Sure, we might like to rejoice all the time. Paul says, indeed, "Always be joyful" (I Thessalonians 5.16, NLV). Also, he wrote in the following verse, "Never stop praying" (I Thessalonians 5.17, NLV). Of course, he does not mean to pray all the time. He means to pray consistently, and often. We can assume, furthermore, that Paul is not saying, "Be joyful every moment. Never be really sad. Never grieve." No, he counsels us to return again and again to rejoicing, to never lose our habitual joyfulness.
A person need not think herself unspiritual due to being unable to rejoice without interruption. Rather, we can offer our moments of joylessness in prayer. The Psalms are full of these prayers of joylessness. Still, the general tenor of the spiritual life is one of a gladness that returns, as long as our joy arises principally from intimacy with Wonderful Presence.
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*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his wife, Rocio, their two dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, and their fish, Hope, in Southwest Florida. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and inspires others to experience a deeper relationship with Christ. He advocates for a spiritually-focused Christianity and the renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons and empathic relating with diverse spiritual traditions, East and West. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry, for all spiritual seekers.
*For replies and biographical information, as well as booking retreats or workshops, fill out the following form:
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