I wonder where the joy went. Do you notice it’s absence as well? In the grocery store, in the local Walmart, walking along the sidewalks, people don’t look at one another; no one looks up at the passerby. When shopping, everyone I see seems intent on studying the floor in front of them. Angry scowls or depressed visages are on the majority of the facesI see when I am out and about.I can go through a large store and count on one hand the number of people who look as though they are happy to be alive. It is exceedingly sad.
The world at this moment in time is, admittedly, not exactly a picture of an Eden, but followers of Jesus have more than the current moment on which to rest their disposition. We know a few things. We know that this is not our home, but we are called to be here as ambassadors. We know that we represent our King, and we know that His Spirit gives us power and gifts so that we can faithfully represent our Home and our King.
It is a battle, though, isn’t it? Fighting the urge to give into the sadness and depressive state that seems endemic to our lives. Who hasn’t had a rough time, a time of loss, a major setback? Are you tired? Are you angry at the world and the way people treat each other? Are you fed up with your own life? There are so many reasons to be sad and depressed.
Even still, as those who follow Jesus, we are called to take the long view, to believe Him when He says that we are never without Him. We are called to believe that He knows what is happening and we can trust Him with our future. And we called to believe that His power works in us through His Spirit. And we are told that He is praying for us. The Savior is right now in the heavens, praying for you and for me. That is amazing ! It is more than amazing, it is phenomenal!
There is a word I recently learned that describes the way life seems now. The word is anhedonia. It means the inability to feel pleasure. Is it not sad to think that a person can view a beautiful sunset or a gorgeous mountain view and feel nothing about it. To feel numb when seeing the wedding of a friend, or when you see a new baby,or witness a graduation is a dreadful situation. Certainly this numbness is not good at all. It indicates how very low we are, how we live in sadness and anger. I wonder if we have gotten so low that there is nothing in which we find pleasure, nothing that can give that spark of joy?
For us who are in Christ,anhedonia is impossible, because we have the Spirit within Who gives us JOY. That gift is one that, in these days of anhedonia, should be decidedly visible. Joy, that calm delight,that feeling of great happiness and pleasure,
is what is needed in our gloomy days. The joy that comes as a gift of the Spirit is one gift we must cherish, encourage and display. Welcome this gift of the Spirit and cultivate it. Find In the world around you those things of beauty that the Creator has scattered boundlessly and enjoy them. Smile at the grumpy people around you in Walmart. You might be the one to make their day. If you truly believe that God is ruling, then act like it. He is God, He has rescued us, He is returning to take us home. Live the truth.