{"id":33373,"date":"2023-10-12T21:08:50","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T04:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=33373"},"modified":"2023-12-09T21:51:56","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T05:51:56","slug":"choose-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/choose-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Choose Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, my mother made \u201cChoose joy\u201d a daily mantra. A farewell as I left for school or embarked on a journey of large or small scale. \u00a0It was a familiar refrain\u2026 something she uttered countless times over the years and she was, and is, consistent. This daily reminder growing up kept a flame going in me that was hard to burn out and easy to relight. Even today I often hear her telling my children, \u201cChoose joy\u201d and watch her fan their flames too. So why joy<\/em>? Why not love<\/em>, or happiness<\/em>, or success<\/em>? Why not tell us to crush it<\/em> or dominate<\/em> or go get\u2019em<\/em>! Why is joy<\/em> significant and worthy of daily attention and affirmation for forty-plus years according to my mother? I believe the answer is multi-dimensional and has different layers for different people, but overall, I give credit to the Spirit; consciously, subconsciously, and unconsciously in both of us.<\/p>\n

The \u2018choice\u2019 in \u201cChoose joy\u201d has become an automatic response, or \u201cfast thinking\u201d according to Daniel Kahneman, that my mother projected and we both accepted.[1]<\/a> Nonetheless, if it had not been ingrained in my soul for so many years, would joy be automatic? Would I have \u2018joy endurance\u2019 or the ability to \u2018hop back on the joy wagon\u2019 when I fall off with ease? I think not. It\u2019s a decision similar to accepting Christ and fits comfortably with the character and lifestyle of Jesus. I believe the Spirit has been alive and active in my mother for a long time and she\u2019s pretty clear on her understanding of it. Through her own experiences, she has come to realize that joy feels a lot like Jesus and it would be wise for us to follow suit. She believes that choosing it each day will help us find the right path paved by Jesus, grow our own faith, and help us walk closely with God. To her, choosing joy or even saying it, was like watering seeds in our family that have been growing and reproducing branches of Jesus\u2019 vine, opening up the power for anything to be accomplished in His name.<\/p>\n

Some may argue that people misinterpret the word joy or define it in unique ways. Christianity.com author Trey Soto argues that \u201cjoy has been misconstrued\u201d and by choosing, \u201cwe take the control in our own hands and it becomes a type of counterfeit force\u201d[2]<\/a> I understand his point but I think he also misses the overall understanding of joy as we practice it today, and he focuses too much on the origin and translation of joy instead of the feeling. In C.S. Lewis\u2019s autobiography, Surprised by Joy<\/em>, he describes joy as a \u201cspiritual longing.\u201d He believed that joy was \u201cmore than a feeling or emotion based on external circumstances.\u201d He saw it as a deep spiritual craving \u201cthat went beyond pleasure or contentment.\u201d[3]<\/a> I can relate to Lewis\u2019 spiritual longing in relation to joy but I think for Lewis and Soto, joy<\/em> carries discontent. Lewis coins this feeling as \u201cSehnsucht,<\/em>\u201d which is a German term used to describe \u201cunsatisfied desire or a yearning for something transcendent.\u201d[4]<\/a> As expected, Lewis makes beautiful sense of his interpretation of joy, however, I would argue that I am not misinterpreting the word even though my definition or experience with joy is distinct. It seems to me that in time, culture, and certain groups, a word or the feeling of a word can have alternate meanings. For example, let\u2019s use the word \u201cgay.\u201d Frankie Lemon certainly isn\u2019t talking about homosexual birds in his song, Why Do Fools Fall in Love<\/em>, when he asks \u201cWhy do birds sing so gay?\u201d[5]<\/a> He\u2019s talking about the sound of joy that emanates from birds and the positive spirit of the birds projecting their \u2018songs and beauty.\u2019 My interpretation of joy is much closer to Lemon\u2019s use of gay<\/em> than Lewis\u2019 or Soto\u2019s use of joy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This may be my own biased refusal to accept another meaning of joy but that begs the question, how can we misinterpret a feeling? Am I simply misinformed and exploiting joy for happiness? Dr. Andrea Scott, George Fox University provost, made it very clear to us at our Cape Town Advance plenary session that \u201cJoy and happiness are not indistinguishable.\u201d[6]<\/a> She stated, \u201cYou can be unhappy, but you can\u2019t be unjoy.\u201d[7]<\/a> Her take on joy runs parallel with my mother\u2019s. The dedication, submission, and follow-through of choosing joy for years becomes an understanding that no longer requires words after decades of practice. It may not be flawless but it is definitely more than living happy<\/em> and deeper than \u2018having a great day<\/em>.\u2019 Choosing joy places responsibilities on both parties. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27, \u201cI discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.\u201d If my mother was miserable and a terrible example of choosing joy in her daily life, her words or encouragement for my life would not hold any weight or credibility. Her request for me to choose joy automatically places the responsibility on her to lead a lifestyle that promotes joy. It\u2019s a win\/win that holds my mother accountable and a technique that can be used in relationships, organizations, networks, and the workplace.<\/p>\n

Jim Wilder and Marcus Warner discuss joy<\/em> as a central player in an atypical leadership style called R.A.R.E. In their books, Rare Leadership,<\/em> and Rare Leadership in the Workplace,<\/em> they introduce this unique approach to leadership, emphasizing trust, engagement, and the often-overlooked element of joy. Their R.A.R.E. leadership philosophy teaches us to Remain Relational, Act Like Yourself, Return to Joy, <\/em>and Endure Hardship<\/em>. Wilder and Warner cite countless examples of finding joy in organizations and seeking it as a tool for leading people to maturity and results. Joy is the secret sauce that fuels a positive habit. Wilder and Warner, along with Dr. Scott and my mother, are confident that choosing joy is an understanding and lifestyle. It’s not a quick fix or convenient solution. It’s also not just a salutation nor does it require decades of practice. It is a verb that requires intentional effort and can be contagious. It\u2019s a Spirit-driven declaration to be the \u201clight of the world.”<\/p>\n

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.\u00a0<\/strong>In the same way, let your light shine before others, so\u00a0that they may see your good works and\u00a0give glory to your Father who is in heaven.\u201d[8]<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

________________________________<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Kahneman, Daniel, Thinking Fast and Slow.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> https:\/\/www.christianity.com\/wiki\/christian-life\/why-christians-shouldnt-choose-joy-what-choose-instead.html<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Lewis, C.S., Surprised by Joy.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Chat GPT, Prompt: CS Lewis view on Joy. Oct. 12, 2023.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Lemon, Frankie; Why Do Fools Fall in Love? 1965. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=M6ccBf0cPsI<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Scott, Andrea. Cape Town Advance, Plenary Session. September, 2022.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Matthew 5:14-16, ESV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For years, my mother made \u201cChoose joy\u201d a daily mantra. A farewell as I left for school or embarked on a journey of large or small scale. \u00a0It was a familiar refrain\u2026 something she uttered countless times over the years and she was, and is, consistent. This daily reminder growing up kept a flame going […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2309],"tags":[2742,2602],"class_list":["post-33373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership","tag-joy","tag-warner-and-wilder","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33373"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34597,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33373\/revisions\/34597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}