Joyfully Unashamed

Do you live with joy? That is a question we don’t normally ask.  Nobody wants to look inside and find that they are filled will darkness and gloom, so we avoid the question.
As humans we have a desire in our hearts to be filled with joy and to be surrounded by joyful people. As we all know, life doesn’t always cooperate with that desire. We often find ourselves slowly giving up the joy we’ve found in Christ when everyone around us is determined to stay stuck in their negative environments. What happens when we have joined the whining, complaining pity party of negativity?  What does it take to get out, especially when we don’t even realize that we’ve joined it?
Recognizing that there needs to be a change is a good start.  I recently attended a mandatory meeting at our office where we were to be discussing exciting topics, but nobody was on board with the excitement. The person leading the meeting recognized the lull and decided to do something about it. He called out the lack of joy that we had created as a community, and then out of nowhere, he began to sing to us. It should have been really awkward, but it wasn’t. It was funny, and it made us smile. He stepped out on a limb to do something potentially awkward to bring us into a joyful spirit, and it worked.
 
we sometimes feel that there is something wrong or undesirable about joy
 
This incident woke me up from my daily routine and allowed me to be more aware of being joyful in other areas of my life. I started thinking of ways that I bring joy to others, and how I could actually give life to someone’s day, just like my boss did at that meeting. Out of all the goofy things I do, the thing that always puts a smile on other’s faces is my dancing. No, this does not mean good dancing: this is joy-filled dancing. Whenever I am filled with joy, I dance.  Sometimes I dance at my desk while I am working to help lift the spirits of my coworkers.  Other times I just want to share joy with anyone who happens to be around me. I know how cheesy it sounds, but it works.
I tried some of my joy-dancing at my youth night the other day.  We had some music playing during a scavenger hunt, so I started dancing.  One of the small groups saw me and could not help but burst out in a joyful laughter.  My dancing was clearly a surprise to them, because they tried to stifle and hide the joy that had welled up inside them. I had to tell them that it was okay to laugh.  
It’s sad that we sometimes feel that there is something wrong or undesirable about joy.  There shouldn’t be a time where we feel like we can’t share it; we might just be missing an opportunity to allow somebody to encounter God in us, through our joy.  It’s also good for us as individuals. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones.”  Don’t keep that goodness to yourself; God wants you to share it with others.  Everyone has a unique way of expressing the joy that comes from God. Find yours, and live it out every day. 
 
Joy-filled Songs to be Inspired by (and to dance to):
"My Lighthouse" by Rend Collective
"We Delight" by Urban Rescue
"Shine Like the Sun" by Matt Maher
"Manifesto" by City Harmonic