Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (2)
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,”James 1:2 NASB
Joy– I don’t think we listen to James. We simply do not regard trials as joyful. I don’t regard trials as joyful. If I really look at my own emotional response to James’ instructions, I discover that his words don’t penetrate my heart. Trials come. I resist. I get depressed. I wonder why these things should happen to me. I wish God would fix it all. Only rarely do I even consider that these thorns in the flesh are the instruments of God. Most of the time I think they are the sharp end of Satan’s revenge or the consequences of my own inability to control life. In other words, I am the product of Plato and Aristotle, not Yeshua and Ya’akov.
Greek philosophy connected joy with mental reflection. In many cases, Plato uses chará and hēdonḗ as virtually interchangeable, associating the reflective life with the highest pleasure. By the time of Aristotle, charáis replaced by hēdonḗ.
Of course, the article also pointed out that hēdonḗ doesn’t always mean sensual pleasure. This should not lead us to conclude that the Greeks viewed joy solely in terms of sensual pleasures, as the word hēdonḗ might suggest (e.g., hedonism). Greek philosophy was overwhelmingly a philosophy of rationality and cognition. The highest pleasure was the contemplation of the Good and the highest experience (joy) was intellectual apprehension of the Beautiful.[1]
But my observation (and it’s only mine) is that as a culture we have succumbed to the sensual relationship and lost the more esoteric one. I don’t find many people contemplating the Good, the True, and the Beautiful these days. Far more are simply pursuing feeling good, believing what they want to be true, and accepting someone else’s notion of beautiful. Even our educational system seems to concentrate on self-esteem as its highest priority rather than self-critical development. It’s all about how you feel and if you feel good, well, then everything is okay.
No, not really. As long as our culture avoids trials as missives from the divine, we will float on the fictitious bubble of ignorant euphoria until it bursts. And it will burst. God will not be mocked. But when that end arrives, oh, the trials that were supposed to prepare us will not have happened and joy will not be the result. Ah, I am preaching to myself. I don’t like to think about this. I’d rather imagine that Aristotle is right: chará and hēdonḗ are the same. Don’t you want to agree?
Topical Index: chará, hēdonḗ, trials, joy, experience, James 1:2
[1]see Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament(1298). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans..
First time I read this, in the King James divers Temptations . I thought one who jumped into the water, what is the water and why would one jump into it. What the wire would be the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the diver would be one who wants more of God, way off base attach the way I used to think. Diverse different kinds of Temptations. They are all around us what do we do? We have options the one being addressed is consider it all, all joy. Jesus Yeshua actually the writer of Hebrews what’s known to have said for the joy that is set before me I take up the cross, everything he knew that had already happened and what was going to happen, for us, he joyfully, endured it all, should know that the Lord has strength for us we can also. Ask God to send help in our time. Knowing he will grant it. And also wisdom to get us through knowing there are others that have gone on before us, to cheer us on. I will close, knowing that others will know much more depth to the comments in scriptures that I have spoken of, but for me I find proclamations very. Encouraging if anyone would like to come in give daps please do so. Thank you
The years I lived without benefiting from relating to God I noticed a lot of things. One of the worst ones was, what to do with my conscience? I couldn’t confess, so the weight piled up. Related to that was the associated guilt: what to do with that? I tried to ‘fix’ my mistakes. I tried to do more ‘good’ stuff to outweigh the bad stuff. I tried amnesia: I tried self-justification. I tried blaming others, or God. When the trials came, I tried to take them on the chin: tried to face them and endure. I just got creamed and sick. The guilt kept weighing me down. Anybody who wanted to could come along and pick all my apples: I had no self-defense. Guilt opened the door, and self pity painted a target on my back. Shame paralyzed me and pride kept me from admitting any of it.
You have to be free to have joy: that I acutely became aware of. I wanted to rejoice in trials: I really did. I saw the value (strength) joy has to give you in those trials, and wanted it. But, apparently, your conscience has to be free before you can have joy. The world only experiences joy in an altered state, for it’s conscience won’t let it, otherwise. False religions (incorrect ways to deal with conscience) offer joy in the form of these altered states. Organized (false) religion has long been the main purveyor of drugs (including, in my experience, anyway, the most addictive of all drugs (next to self pity of course). I am talking about a religious spirit. That one ran my Roadrunner off many an insane cliff), sex and ecstasy, too (check them out: that stuff is all there) because I think humans have to have the experience of joy to convince themselves that they are free. Addicts; abusive (or self-abusive) and other do-as-I-have-been-done-by stuck folks; holy rollers; idol-worshipers; rock-and-roll fans; we all want the same thing: the experience of the freedom that joy is found in. Even if it is only for a little while. Joy puts the heart back in you, but you have to be free to even have access to your own heart. False religions and other belief systems all offer that (false) sense of freedom of conscience that I think we must have to be able to experience the joy we have to have to live life. Conscience guards the door and has the key to the room of the heart where the wings of joy hang on the wall. “Rejoicing in trials”? Only the innocent can do that. I wanted to be innocent!
As usual, the Bible’s truth is only accessible to the insiders: those who are the people of the Book. We can read “rejoice in trials” all day long, but I now know that only those who have followed the other instructions in there can actually follow that one. Our Example was innocent; therefore He had joy. If I want His joy, I have to have availed myself of the robe of His righteousness. I have to have traded in my poor connections for His great ones, and my mistakes for His victories, too. The instructions are all in there.
“Rejoicing in trials”? Only the innocent can do that.
Amen… and indeed… it is all in there.
amen sister…
True joy is a God-ful experience.
It’s in Him. Not in the world.
Trials happen for various reasons . . .
usually a result of our own doing. No doubt,
many trials are in God’s provision as He uses
them to advance the depths of our relationship
with Him. No matter how they happen, they serve
to build and strengthen us in our physical and spiritual
journey. No pain, no gain.
True, today’s fickle world seeks the low hanging fruit of
self satisfaction. When God’s not in the picture, what else
is left? In God, however, joy has no limits . . . and even the
best of the best does not emanate from this world. Why?
“My kingdom is not of this world.”
(Good to be back from two restful weeks in the Alps.)
Yes, I want to agree… and I must be reminded by the Holy Spirit speaking through Peter…. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed… let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
Joyful… joyful, Lord… We adore thee… God of glory!… Lord of love.
Thank you again. Today, I will apply your word