The recent discovery of an unpublished letter by C.S. Lewis is raising eyebrows and interest around the globe. Penned less than two weeks before the end of World War II to a mysterious “Mrs. Ellis”, the letter provides a rare glimpse into Lewis’ definition of joy. He writes:
“Real joy … jumps under ones ribs and tickles down one’s back and makes one forget meals and keeps one (delightedly) sleepless o’ nights” (The Guardian).
While I adore Lewis’ lively language, I find the great scholar doing what so many have done in the church for far too long: defining joy by that which seems just out of reach.
But what if the great secrets of joy are accessible to us today?
More than three years ago I ventured on a spiritual expedition into the more than 400 references of joyful expressions throughout the Bible.
I cleansed my palatte of the tired teachings that happiness is based on circumstance and joy is not, as well as the overly simplictic, JOY is spelled Jesus, Others, Yourself.
(This works great when you’re nine but becomes disasterous to the thirtysomething mom of three who hasn’t had five free minutes to take a shower in seven days. She aches for someone, anyone, to help her find time to spell and live JYO for a at least an hour a day. #longlivemoms)
My Biblical exploration revealed joy as so much more than I ever knew. Most of the definitions of joy I’d heard in the church defined it more by what it wasn’t than what it was.
I’m now convinced the writers of the Bible would say that the reason we have joy is because we have great circumstances. [Tweet “We are drenched in the mercies and grace of God. “]
Today, your circumstances are better than you think.
When it comes to doling out happiness and joy, God is anything but stingy.
When you look at Scripture, joy is a spectrum of emotions, actions, and responses that include mirth, glee, gladness, cheer, happiness, merriment, delighting, shouting, exulting, rejoicing, laughing, playing, brightening, blessing and being blessed, taking pleasure in and being well pleased.
Perhaps we need a redefinition of joy, because we need a redefinition of us.
C.S. Lewis captured the notion of joy as a feeling when he described, “(real joy) jumps under ones ribs and tickles down one’s back”, but joy is also an action and a response.
Somedays we feel like a joy. Some days we don’t.
But we can still answer the sacred call to live in joy. No matter what battlefield we find ourselves on.
That’s one reason I wrote the Fight Back With Joy book and Bible study.
[Tweet “Perhaps you’re not experiencing joy, because your definition of joy has been far too narrow for far too long.”]
Let’s begin to awaken to the fullness of joy. Let’s learn how to fight back with joy together. Order today.
