The Journey to Joy

How Jesus can help you get back on your feet

Right before he was crucified, Jesus said to his disciples, “You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy…. Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:20, 22, NIV).

What a wonderful and hopeful promise. Yet, we all know that the journey to joy is not always an easy one. It certainly is not something that can be forced, especially when you’re feeling the heaviness of sadness or grief. Who can be joyful when you’re heart-broken, frustrated, discouraged, or simply overwhelmed by life or all that’s wrong with the world?

Nevertheless, Jesus, on his way to the cross, knowing all the suffering that still lay ahead for him and his disciples, could still speak about joy. Joy that no one could ever take away.

What did he have in mind, and is that joy available for us today?

In my previous blog post, I wrote that sometimes in our lives it’s time to grieve. When we’ve experienced great loss, we need to feel your feelings, give ourselves permission to be angry or sad, and cry our bitter tears. But grief need not be the sum of all our emotional experiences. There is a pathway to joy again for those who know where to look and where to go.  

When evil asserts its destructive forces, people will suffer, sometimes horribly. That’s a fact. Life is full of pain and suffering for every human being, and sometimes the weight of it all threatens to crush us. Yet, while we may have little or no control over the amount pain we feel—especially when we are physically sick or there are abusive people in our lives—psychologists tell us that it is possible to mitigate the extent of our suffering. And Jesus tells us, despite the worst of what we might have to endure, joy is not far off.

In the case of the disciples, Jesus said their grief would turn to joy. That was his promise. Not an easy life, health and wealth, power or privilege. In fact, early Christians sometimes were persecuted horribly, many lived in poverty their entire lives, and ten of the original 12 disciples were martyred.

Yet, at the same time, somehow, there would also be joy. The disciples would literally see Jesus again. They would be able to resume their close, intimate relationship. Their grief would turn to joy—a joy no one would be able to take from them (John 16:22). And that has been the experience for countless millions of people who have come to know and experience Jesus in their personal lives ever since.

For me personally, I feel so much joy every time I hear again the good news of the Gospel—even if it is for thousandth time: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV). Knowing and believing that God loves me and generously offers me forgiveness, salvation and eternal life is so marvelous that I cannot find adequate words to describe the joy I feel. And it doesn’t stop there. Whenever I sense God’s gracious, merciful, kind, generous, healing, or life-giving presence, the peace and joy I feel is indescribable.

Over the past five years, one of my greatest sources of joy has come from commiserating with other like-minded people of faith, many of whom are also grappling with so much death, destruction, and suffering in the world. Many conversations can devolve into angry outbursts or rehearsing the same offenses and fears again and again. But the turning point for me often comes when we stop complaining or wringing our hands in fear and start praying.

When I pour out my heart to God with a brother or sister in Christ, a deep peace often settles over me. And more than once, I’ve opened my eyes to see one or more of my prayer partners beaming with the same joy that I was feeling. In such moments, I don’t feel so alone or hopeless anymore. Jesus’s living presence has been revealed. I see him in them, and they see him in me. God has not abandoned me in my suffering. There is still goodness in the world. Jesus Christ is present and at work in me and among others who know, love, and serve him as I do.

As Jesus said: In this world you will have much grief, but your grief will turn to joy.

No matter how much you may have lost or what you may be going through right now, Jesus’s promise to his disciples is for you, too. You don’t have to suffer alone, without hope and without joy.

The journey to joy begins and ends with Jesus. See where he is. Embrace him. And you will have a source of comfort and joy, forever.

With the love of Jesus Christ,

Dr. Tim

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).