Joy Delivered
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
The time when the toy catalogs show up in various places of our house: strewn across bedroom floors, wedged in between the couch cushions, splayed on the end tables, all dog-eared and starred with my kids' most burning desires. I can almost feel their anticipation as they feverishly turn the pages, circling something on nearly every page.
I remember doing the same as a child when the two-inch thick JCPenney catalog would arrive every fall. And although not nearly as vast as it was decades ago, I have to chuckle sometimes at the idea that so much paper is still used to advertise items most people will ultimately go online to purchase. Admittedly, I actually find these catalogs helpful (as well as irritating) as they serve as an easy way to keep track of what my kids most hope to find under the tree each year.
One catalog, in particular, caught my attention this year, however. The cover proclaimed the phrase “Joy Delivered”. Ironically, this specific catalog also quickly became the most coveted one in our house as it was the most extensive and therefore, contained the highest quantity of joy-inducing possibilities.
Or does it?
Although we never taught our children to believe that someone came to the house in the middle of the night to fill their stockings, we have honored the St. Nick tradition ever since our kids were small. This year, “St. Nick” decided to add to their collection of magnetic tiles. Since the St. Nick who visits our house has a limited budget for stockings, he thought he'd be clever and divide a package of said tiles among the stockings by placing an equal amount of tiles in each of our four kids'. Brilliant, right?
Not nearly two hours after discovering the bulging stockings on that exciting morning earlier this month, an argument had broken out as a result of someone using more than her fair share of tiles, leaving one lacking enough to build what he had in mind.
Because the truth is, it's never enough.
And the things of this earth never will be.
And if I'm being honest with myself, my attitude is not often that much different than my children's.
Rewind maybe eight or nine Christmases ago to when our first set of twins were just toddlers, I, an exhausted relatively new mama, still coming to terms with the fact that my life was no longer about me (whether or not it should've ever been is a completely different topic entirely). In an attempt to cut down on the number of gifts purchased and given, one side of our family had all agreed on an adult name exchange with a $50 limit. And when I say “all”, what I really mean is “most”. You see, we have one in our family who absolutely adores shopping for other people. He doesn't care how much it costs – the dollar amount fails in comparison to the thought and the sentiment of picking out just the prefect gift for those he loves most. Looking back, I don't know that he was ever really on board with the idea of exchanging names and being responsible for purchasing only one gift.
I remember being excited that day, for I had carefully selected items for my wish list and greatly anticipated the receiving of such a gift. After all, $50 spent on little old me? At the end of a year when I felt last in line 99% of the time, I was certain this would be a welcome shift. And then came the time to exchange. This particular relative, in his kindness and strong desire to make others happy, proceeded to hand out gifts to everyone. I opened mine to reveal a beautiful little sun catcher, depicting a cheerful, colorful hummingbird. That's sweet, I thought and patiently waited for my “real gift” to be placed in my lap. But it never came.
Once all of the gifts had been exchanged and everyone's “secret name” revealed, it was clear that the best gift giver of them all had received mine. And I was the recipient of a sun catcher which was, although beautiful, surely not something on my list and definitely not worth $50.
And I went to the bathroom and cried.
I'm filled with reluctance as I tell you this because I am still ashamed at my reaction. How selfish and self-centered was I? I was so focused on what I could get that day, what awaited me under the tree that I couldn't even appreciate the sentiment behind the gift I did receive or the incredible heart from which it came.
But my heart revealed what I know now more than ever: it's never enough.
And it never will be.
I read a quote from Charles Spurgeon the week of Thanksgiving that struck me hard and has replayed countless times in my head since:
“You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.”
Because the world's definition of joy is much different than ours.
And if we're searching for lasting joy in our earthly possessions, our relationships or our circumstances, we will surely always come up empty- handed, left crying in the bathroom in utter disappointment and pity for ourselves.
I feel as though there is a common misconception among Christians that believing that God is a good Father who is constantly working for our good (as the Bible tells us in Romans 8:28) must mean that we will frequently experience great happiness while here on earth. And while I do believe that our heavenly Father delights in seeing His children enjoy what He has blessed them with (Ecclesiastes 9:7), there are no guarantees that we will be blessed in the ways we want to be blessed.
For when the Bible speaks of the word joy, it does so in light of our faith and belief in Jesus and our eternal salvation. Joy comes only second to love in the list of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). God tells us that the joy He gives can never be taken away (John 16:22). We can be certain that this joy is not the same joy which the world tells us can be achieved through just the right gift or picture-perfect circumstances, for it is often spoken about in reference to suffering and earthly trials (James 1:2, Romans 12:12, among others).
And yet when we look at that Babe in the manger on that first Christmas night, joy abounds. Not from posh accommodations or perfect circumstances or a completely harmonious relationship between Mary and Joseph (I can only imagine the tensions running high in those moments), but from the tangible next step in the fulfillment of God's plan – His one and only Son, come to earth in human flesh. For the Bible tells us:
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ”
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
So just maybe, the cover of that catalog wasn't all wrong. Maybe joy can be delivered. Not in a brown box on the front porch but rather in the swaddling clothes of a baby, sent to earth to suffer, die and rise for the sins of all mankind. For this is true, everlasting joy which the world will never be able to provide.
Want to be spiritually encouraged during this “gift giving” season or perhaps in the New Year? Try Bible journaling (writing out) the following passages about joy!
Nehemiah 8:10
Psalm 4:7
Psalm 16:11
Psalm 30:5
John 16:22
John 16:24
Romans 12:12
Romans 15:13
Galatians 5:22
Phillippians 4:4
James 1:2-4
1 Peter 1:8