Joy in the Middle of a Lockdown

Do you want to be happy? You might say that it’s a silly question. Of course! Everyone wants to be happy! If everyone wants to be happy how come only a few actually are? I’d like to suggest why – it’s because we have so many reasons not to be happy: High prices, low income, poor health, rich neighbors, big challenges, small resources, high expectations, low performance, so many things to do, so little time to do it….and all that is before we got locked down by COVID 19! So the list could go on and on. If our happiness depends on such conditions, is it possible to be happy at all? The answer is NO. There will always be someone or something that will spoil our happiness.

Instead of happiness, the Bible often use the word JOY. This is so because JOY does not depend on our situation or material possession. It depends on something deeper, something that will not change, something that will not fail, something that no one or nothing can take away from us. It depends on the truth that God is with us.

You can have everything and still not be happy or you can have nothing except that joy in your heart. The difference is found in this passage from the Psalms:

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:11 (NLT)

As we try to ride out this lockdown, we can complain, allow our frustration to build up, focus on the negatives, …. Or we can actively seek to be aware of God’s presence by meditating on his Word, spending time in prayer, and by declaring our dependence on Him.

You see, when we learn to seek God’s presence, God rewards us with something only He could give…it is the kind of joy that is safely locked down in your heart. Just like we are in our homes.