Passion produces joy.  Recently, our 12 year old granddaughter faced the deadline for soccer sign-ups with her local youth league.  Her enthusiasm for the sport had waned and she had the courage to tell her parents she didn’t want to play.  She said, “It doesn’t bring me joy.” She focused on track, writing and a school play instead, and did quite well in all three.

I’m proud of my granddaughter.  Not just because she found something she could excel at that brought her joy.  But rather because she was self-aware enough in her youth to examine her heart and move where it was leading. 

I wish the same for everyone.  Unfortunately, aa adults, we often miss our passion and the joy it yields.  We live our lives for the people we want to please, or for surface rewards void of meaning.  One day we look back and say, “I’m unfulfilled, but I’m not sure why.” 

Before I continue, I feel a need to offer a relevant perspective.  My grandmother was a mother of four when my grandfather was killed in a railroad accident.  She lived in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, and had to find a way to raise her children in a challenging culture with few resources.  If you had asked my grandmother if she was pursuing her passion, she might have looked at you like you were from another planet.  Her children were certainly her passion, but she was not in a position to follow other aspects of her heart’s desire.  After she raised her children, she became a nanny in one of their homes, and while she was cared for, she had few worldly possessions.  I say this because I don’t want anything I share here to dismiss the realities of life. And of course, my grandmother was more fortunate that others in our world who don’t know where they will sleep or what they will eat on a daily basis. 

A good definition of joy requires context.  During my life I have encountered a few individuals who were happiest when they used their power or influence to hurt others.  But this isn’t joy.  True joy should reflect the nature of God.  If He is not seen in the passions we follow and the joy we experience, we may want to rethink our priorities.    

I present this definition of joy for your consideration: “Joy is found in knowing ourselves as God knows us and finding meaning and purpose in our relationship with Him, His Son Jesus and all creation.” Under the category of “creation” I include people, the animal world, mountains, valleys, streams and oceans, and earthly resources that can be fashioned for our benefit. What God has created for our enjoyment can be corrupted for evil purposes, but when this occurs the outcome is not joy.

When properly understood, we can experience joy regardless of our circumstances. It comes to us in the darkest night as well as through the blessings of abundance.  In darkness, Jesus endured the cross for the “joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2).  James encouraged the church to “count it all joy” when they endured trials.  The Apostle Paul asked believers to pray for him in his struggles, “so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed” (Romans 15:32). When faced with evil-doers who wished him harm, the psalmist wrote, “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered” (Psalm 71:23)

Just as a grasp of biblical joy helps us see beyond our circumstances, it also reframes unpleasant tasks.  Several years ago, a team of people from my church family freely served businesses near our facility by cleaning their toilets.  It was a nasty job, but they did so joyously because they were passionate about showing the love of Jesus to others. When something we do serves a higher purpose, we can praise God for the opportunity.  Perhaps this was the psalmist’s motivation when he wrote, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked” (Psalm 84:10b)

If you are going through a season in your life where joy is in short supply, allow me to make the following suggestions.  Perhaps you will find them helpful.

1.  First, be honest with God and others about your situation.  Lacking joy is not a sin.  Neither is feeling a lack of passion.  But we create a foothold in our hearts for Satan when we try to hide our emptiness.  More than one marriage has been destroyed because a husband and wife allowed a void to go unchecked until someone outside of the marriage found a way to fill it wit an immoral act.  May I suggest we simply pray, “God, my soul feels empty.  Help me find joy again.”  Admission is the place to begin. 

2. Perform an inventory.  What has brought you joy in the past?  Where have you sensed passion?  Certainly, as followers of Jesus, we would include His redeeming love in this list, as well as moments in our lives when we have felt an overwhelming sense of the Lord’s presence. We might seek to rekindle these experiences through personal or corporate worship, and/or time in God’s Word.  These are excellent choices.  However, I wish to remind you that godly joy can be nurtured in many contexts.  Not every sanctified passion fits into the box of traditional spiritual disciplines. 

During the COVID pandemic, I needed a healthy diversion to help me navigate the stress of doing ministry in a difficult season.  I recalled my deep love for fishing as a child and the hours my grandfather and I shared on the shorelines of ponds, lakes, rivers and creeks.  Somewhere along the way, between people needs and sermon preparation, I had pushed fishing out of my life, with the exception of an occasional trip on the water with a church member.  But, during the pandemic, when my contact with church members was often limited to six feet and a mask, I yearned to reconnect with my soul.  I returned to fishing.  Since this passion had been dormant for years, I had to force myself to the water as a form of “tough self-love”.  I told my wife I wanted a new rod and reel for Christmas, as motivation.  I knew I wouldn’t want my wife’s Christmas gift to collect dust.  After a few trips, and one or two catches, I felt a spark reignite.  I began to reminisce the days I spent with my grandfather, and the joy of those days returned.  Now, I try to fish at least three times a week.  Fishing brings me joy.  It also draws my heart close to God as I reflect on His creative genius and loving-kindness.  My fishing trips are not a substitute for time in God’s Word, or with His people. Yet, they fuel a passion, which fills my heart with thanksgiving. 

If you are in a dry season in your life and lack passion and joy, you may want to make a short list of past passions.  What has brought you joy before the responsibilities of life sucked you dry?  Maybe your circumstances have changed and you can no longer participate in activities with the same intensity.  Instead, consider a passion that fits your situation and pursue it.  Don’t be surprised if you have to push yourself.  When an ember in the fire is down to its last spark, it takes time and effort to make it glow again.  But as your mind, body and soul begin to remember the joy you once felt, your enthusiasm will return. 

3. Find your people.  Passion, joy and relationships are connected.  When we feel empty, we often shun others.  We lack the emotional energy to engage in community, which we desperately need.  This does not mean being around people will instantly bring us joy (It could cause more distress).  Nor should we assume that we can’t find joy by pursuing our passions alone (I usually fish solo). 

But once we identify a passion and start the rekindling (or kindling in the case of a new pursuit) process, it helps to surround ourselves with others who share our interests.  We can do this by attending an event focused on our passion, reporting our successes to loved ones or sending friends updates on our progress.  When I started fishing again, I put my phone in my pocket and talked with mother in Florida as I fished.  When I caught a fish, I sent her a picture.  Being a good mother, she praised me as if my catch was a world record.  Now that my mother is with the Lord, I send my fish pictures to my fishing friends and they return in kind. 

If we are followers of Jesus, the church community is technically “our people”, since we share a common salvation. We are strengthened when we worship and grow with our spiritual brothers and sisters. But there are also “people within a people” when it comes to the church.  In other words, in the church we find people who share our more unique passions.  By way of example, I have a few friends in my church who share my passion for Hot Wheels die-cast cars.  Years ago, I organized a Hot Wheels Day, complete with a four lane track, a car show, Hot Wheels activity sets and a grand prize of a ride in a pace car at a local NASCAR track.  Our Hot Wheels Day wasn’t a worship service, but it was “glorious”!  And filled with joy.  It may have been a little selfish on my part, designing a church activity for my “people within a people”, but there were no complaints.  I encourage you to look for your people and seek opportunities to connect for the sake of increasing your joy. 

4. Finally, ditch the joy killers.  As we grasp our passions and see our joy increase, we will likely recognize that our personal schedule and priorities need to change. While it is true we can’t always choose the margins in our lives (as with my grandmother who had to raise four children in the mountains), and we must perform draining tasks for those who depend on us (such as our employers), it is also true we can be our own worst enemies.  We need balance, which means we might want to eliminate unnecessary commitments in favor of those that fuel our passions.  In so doing, we learn to say “no” to joy killers for our souls’ sake.  We learn this hard lesson when we pass through the valley of dry bones and experience healing from the God who gives us life.  

I could have used my granddaughter’s wisdom during seasons when I failed to manage my activities well.  I would also have benefited from drawing on a broader scope of godly passions outside of traditional religious activities.  Notice, I didn’t say, “instead of traditional religious activities”.  There have been times in my life when the only thing holding me together was my time in the Word of God and the opportunities I had to worship with my church.  I am merely suggesting it is good to expand our understanding of passion and joy, and allow God to fill us in ways that are specific to our nature.  He designed each of us as unique individuals, and redeemed us through His Son that we might find ourselves, experience joy, and present ourselves in a more whole fashion for the sake of the kingdom.