If you were to get to know me, you would discover that I can have a slightly melancholy bent on life. I’m one of those weird people who kind of enjoys being sad. My disposition in life isn’t exactly one that always sees the silver lining; I can just see the looming clouds. This proves challenging in life because as a leader, husband, father, you have to learn to inspire and lead and you can’t just be negative. No one wants to follow Eeyore (yes that is how you spell it, much to my surprise).
So joy has been somewhat of a learned practice for me and I’m still learning it. Like when my things aren’t going well, I have to practice reminding myself of what is good rather than just seeing things as bleak. I’m not alone. There are many preachers and leaders who suffer from a similar disposition or even depression like Charles Spurgeon who struggled with depression and yet preached 35 sermons on the topic of joy of the course of his ministry. I don’t know if what I experience is actually depression. I don’t call it depression, I just call it Tuesday. But that’s kind of my disposition in life.
So here are a few things that I think are helpful to find more joy in life pulled from Mary’s prayer in Luke 1:46-55. If I can learn to practice joy and cultivate joy, I think you can too.
Gratitude - Mary is grateful and is filled with wonder. Mary’s song speaks praise of God and thankfulness towards him. She magnifies, meaning she holds God in high regard, he is worthy of praise, and her soul rejoices in God who is her savior. Why though? Because he sees her. He has looked at her humble estate, meaning she knows she is no one special and doesn’t deserve to be used by God in this way. God seeing her is what we all want. We want to know we are seen. We want that someone to look at us. Someone to notice. People to pay attention to us. But when we have the attention of God, we can experience joy and thankfulness. We can be grateful because we are his in Christ. We are seen by God.
Wonder - Another key feature of Mary’s joy is God’s faithfulness to show mercy to his people which cultivates wonder in her. God is faithful to generations of people. God is not just interested in you, although surely he is. He is interested in redeeming generations of people. I often get this question as a pastor, if Jesus is going to come back and make everything right, why won’t he just come now? What sense does it make for him to hold off his return? Because, the longer he holds off, the more people he can redeem. God is sovereign and merciful to those who will come to him for mercy, those who fear him. Fearing God looks not just like acknowledging that he is God, believing that God exists. It means fearing God and his sovereignty and that he is our only hope for salvation, for reconciliation, for wholeness.
Hope - Mary celebrates her hope in God. He doesn’t give up on his people. He is faithful to remember his promises. God doesn’t break his promise to you and I that he would began a good work in you will see it through to completion. God has remembered his people Israel, is the way Mary puts it. She is part of the great story of God’s redemption offered to you and I. She has hope in God because he will rule forever and she knows she’s part of that story. God has given her a better story. God has given you a better story in Jesus.
These three habits of joy help me choose joy even when I don’t feel like it. Perhaps they could help you as well. We live in a joyless world obsessed with death and absent of wonder. We live in a disenchanted world but God invites us to be joyful like children who are in awe of life itself. Making a habit of gratitude, wonder, and hope in the gospel can prepare you to face even the bleakest of days.