The author of Ecclesiastes wrote, “And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.” (Eccl 8:15, ESV) The man knew what he was talking about. Joy is everywhere to be found. The ESV Bible uses “joy” 179 times, whereas “sorrow” is only used 35 times. I know, I was surprised too. Closely related to happiness, joy is a state of being more than an emotion, and joy is the result of choice.
I have found joy in a variety of places. I was driving through Woonsocket on Monday and saw three kids at the lake. Their bikes lay in the grass next to them as two chased butterflies and one fished. I smiled, joyfully remembering the summers of my youth and the freedom they held. The streetlights were my watch, telling me with their flicking on that it was time to return home. Ah, youth – it truly is wasted on the young.
Joy is found in relationships and memories, in struggle and overcoming, and anywhere else we choose to find it. In spite of witnessing, experiencing, and yes, even inflicting suffering during my almost 20 years of public safety, I found much joy. I had opportunities and experiences I would have had nowhere else (and some photos to prove that). It was a joy to serve people, to work with people, and at the end of my shift to be apart from them all and rest with my family.
Ten years of ministry has also contained large doses of joy along with some sadness and other negative emotions. Saying goodbye to people I loved as they moved away was sad, but I was joyful for them and their new adventures. Officiating funerals is sad, but the joy of our hope in Christ helps us heal. Seeing people embrace and live out their faith is joyful, as is seeing lives changed by the Gospel.
The Preacher of Ecclesiastes knew that of which he spoke. And since he also wrote “there is nothing new under the sun,” a fact overly evident in today’s television programming, I will only repeat what he said. I commend joy, for people have nothing better under the sun.