Participation as a Means to Joy

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Living in God’s creation as God intended it creates an opportunity to participate in Christ’s Joy.

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The Reflection

I was reflecting the other day with my wife as we watched my son play with his toys when suddenly a thought struck me. Toys do not inherently bring my son joy. His playing with them does. The toy is an object. It does not possess joy. And joy is not one of its material components. Without my son’s interaction and manipulation, the toy will lie there, unused.

Photo by Stephen Andrews on Unsplash

However, everything changes when my son sees the toy, desires it, and interacts with it. Suddenly, there is laughter. Smiles erupt from his face, as well as ours, as he begins to play with the toy. It could be a block, a plastic dump truck, or a stick in the yard. It seems as though there is joy lying latent within my boy. And his playing brings it out of him.

Another example is the classic scene of a father and his son running around the living room floor. When I do this he usually laughs so hard he gets the hiccups. The joy beaming out of his smile and emanating from his laughter is enough to make my heart burst. And I am right there with him, with mock roaring and feigned chasing I let him get far enough away only to snatch him back into my arms. We laugh and laugh and laugh until we lay on the floor side by side joyfully exhausted.

This joy that I write about comes from the participation of my son and I playing together. And I think it is something larger than playtime. I believe joy comes from participating in the world God created as God intended. When we lovingly play with our children, we experience joy. When we go to church and worship God together, we experience joy. When we read and meditate on God’s word, we can experience joy.

I have previously written about joy (one of my favorite topics to write about). For me, this is a value that I hold dear to myself. I am on a quest for it. I long for it. I subscribe to the belief that is expressed by the Westminster Shorter Catechism “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” I strive to live my life for his glory. And in turn, there is an abundant reward of joy. But that only comes from participating in God’s plan and his creation as he intended it.

Partaking in Man’s Joy

The world we live in is not how it was created. We live in a fallen, devastated world rather than the perfect original state God had made in The Beginning. But two humans, Adam and Eve, were deceived and chose to elevate themselves to the level of God, and even above God. Their sin brought a curse into the world which we feel the consequences of today. We even perpetuate this curse by our own sin.

Adam and Eve disregarded their creatureliness and looked beyond their roles that God had blessed them with. They chose power and knowledge over freedom and blessing. They chose to ignore the awareness of who they were, and strove to forge their own form of joy and purpose. Apart from God, there is no lasting joy. Adam and Eve, and even us today, are reminded of this as we labor, watch the news, and experience conflict.

Even more personally, we experience this when we strive so desperately to achieve a dream only to find it empty and hollow upon achieving it. I think of kids who binge eat candy and then get a stomach ache. In the moment, it is bliss, but in the end, there is pain. How often do we do this to ourselves? The desire to feel good over the desire to do what is right is the battle we constantly face. Thankfully, God is good. Though exiled from the garden, we are brought into grace.

Partaking in God’s Joy

God has made a way for us. He did not leave us in our sin but provided a Way for those who believe in Him. He promised us a joy that will never end and one that will always be full. Christ, the Redeemer, the Joyful One, has given freely of himself so that we may partake in his joy.

Colossians 1:10–14 (ESV)

[10] so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

When we live in Christ, we experience his joy. When we submit to his spirit and engage in Christ’s creation as he intended it, we are able to have joy despite the trials. We can lovingly steward what he has blessed us with, whether that is relationships, money, resources, or animals. And when we do that faithfully we will be like the servant in Matthew 25.21,

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Christ is doing the works that his Father has given him to do. And he is full of joy that can be shared. Indeed, it is welling up and overflowing on his adopted brothers and sisters. We are blessed to have the opportunity to participate in that same joy.

Joy with and in Others

When we participate in Christ’s joy we can love others and share in a special joy that comes from being together. The epistles are chock full of this joyous language. Paul and John are the main joyful culprits. They strive in their letters to emphasize the joy they have in hearing the good news about their fellow churches. Paul says in Philippians,

Philippians 1:3–6 (ESV)

[3] I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, [4] always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, [5] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. [6] And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

John seeks to be with his friends rather than to write words in 2 John 12

“Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”

There is a peculiar joy that comes from physically being with those you love and deeply care for. John knows this, and that is why he longs to be with them. He experiences joy at hearing how well they are doing, but his joy is completed when they come together to fellowship.

Through partnership and participation, the joy that is experienced is unique. When we work towards a common goal in unity with one another, joy abounds. We live out the original mandate that God gave to Adam and Eve. We work and steward the creation as it was designed to be. Our relationships become fuller and deeper. And we can count the trials and tribulations of this turbulent life as joy. Knowing that there is a life and joy beyond this world. One that will never end. One where we will be in the physical presence of Jesus forever and ever. Amen.

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If you are interested in reading more from the Workbox here are the past two essays.