There are people who contend that one of the true marks of holiness is being dour and sullen. The more miserable and brooding you are, the more you show spiritual maturity.
I remember when I was growing up there was a woman in our church who wore all black, no makeup, and would often get agitated with my friends and myself for things like running or laughing inside the church.
One time she demanded that an usher take us to our parents. My friend asked the usher, “Why is sister Sue so grumpy?” The usher got very serious. “Boys, she’s not grumpy, she’s very holy.” What’s silly, is that when we heard this we actually got scared.
Silly, but not funny
Pope Francis has affected a lot of people with his profound kindness and joyfulness. While he was in the US this past September he visited people and places often overlooked; leaving them encouraged and filled with the hope that God loves them.
While there are many people who are profoundly impressed by Pope Francis, there are many who do not share his views, even some who are hostile towards him. An example of this occurred after the Pope tweeted…
A Christian is never bored or sad. Rather, the one who loves Christ is full of joy and radiates joy. (June 30, 2013)
Judging from the responses to this statement you would’ve thought the Pope had said that Jesus was the antichrist and Lucifer was his brother. Thousands of people tweeted things like…
“What gives him the right to talk like this?!!!”
“This is not a proper attitude for the Holy Father”
However some of the sharpest criticisms of the Pope’s tweet came from the evangelical community. Not only tweets that fired back at him, but also blogs and online magazines lit up in disapproval. Here’s one example,
The assumption that we can necessarily “flourish and thrive” and “become more and more everything” on this side of heaven seems a disappointing setup for any believer. (Jennifer Boardman, The Debbie Downers of Christianity, Christianity Today, Aug. 2013)
While I would certainly agree that anything on “this side of heaven” pales in comparison with what is coming, the idea that Christians should be less-than happy until heaven is what I take umbrage with.
Real Christians should be joyful
Life is full of challenges and difficulties, and Christians are not immune from them. But what makes life with Christ different is that we now have God’s power available to us no matter what we face. It’s His power that gives us the hope of victory and the certainty of life. It’s also God’s power that creates joyfulness in us independent of, and even in spite of, circumstances.
The joy that God gives is an important part of our faith in Him. His joy is a spiritual fruit confirming our faith (Gal. 5:22). His joy even becomes strength for us (Neh. 8:10). In fact, being joyful is God’s will for our lives (1 Thess. 5:16-18).
Joyfulness may not stop kids from running or talking in church, and there will always be people who like looking, talking, acting, even writing drab; but a smile that radiates from a joyful heart will have an impact unlike anything else!
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