June 8

Psalm 126

This week we heard the news of two very successful and talented people taking their lives, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and fashion designer Kate Spade. The CDC tells us that suicide is now the 10th leading cause of death in our country and among people ages 15 to 34, suicide is the second leading cause of death. 45,000 people die by suicide each year; that is 123 people each day.  Combine this with the dramatic rise in opioid addiction and death and we have a national epidemic of hopelessness.

How can this be? We live in the most prosperous nation on earth, with unemployment under 4%, and the most amazing technological advances. We are better educated, we travel more, we have bigger homes and cars, we have more leisure time and we receive the most sophisticated medical care.

So why are so many Americans frustrated and hopeless?  Could I suggest that Psalm 126 gives us an answer. This Psalm points to the truth that joy has nothing to do with acquiring or achieving something. Joy is the result of being in a relationship with the living God. Happiness is dependent on "happenings" while joy is anchored in seeing the fingerprints of God in your life. Joy is rooted in connecting with God's bigger story and your role in his plan.  

In verse 3 these joyful travelers state, "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." There you have it in just a few words.  Joy is the sense of delight that arises when we are connected with God and his mission in our life. The order is first seeing God do great things and then finding it produces joy.

Could it be that the crisis in America is actually a crisis of faith? The vast majority of people have lived under the illusion that if they become rich, powerful, popular and own a lot of big toys they will find happiness. But one day they discover that acquiring these things does not deliver joy. Joy depends, not on our acquisition of something, but rather on our encounter with someone. Happiness possesses; joy appreciates. Happiness grasps; joy beholds.

Augustine, the church father, put it this way, "Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee."

Look for the fingerprints of Jesus in your life and you will find joy.

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"Multiplying leaders to change the world"