Joy & Pain

In 1988, Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock released a song called Joy & Pain.  It’s a classic tune that holds up quite well today.  I don’t dance, but this song makes me wish I did  Seriously, give it a listen.  If you don’t like this song, you don’t like 80’s hip-hop…but that’s not really what this post is about.

Our church has been working through a series on the book of James in the Bible.  One of the strangest verses at first glance is James 1:2.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

Seems strange doesn’t it?  Why would anyone be joyful about trouble?  Well, James goes on to say that when trouble comes, it’s an opportunity for growth.  When pain comes, it’s an opportunity for joy.  It’s not the pain that brings us joy; it’s the way we react to the pain and the results that come about because of it. 

I’ll take it a step further; at the same time taking a step back.  Hey, maybe I can dance after all. 

First, to step back; most of the Psalms in the bible were written about 1000 years before James was alive.  The Psalms speak a lot about joy.  They also speak a lot about pain.  The author of Psalm 43 connected joy and pain long before James did.  Now here’s where we step forward.  Psalm 43:4 says:

“There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy.

I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!”

James tells us that pain leads us to the opportunity for joy.  This Psalm tells us how it works.  Pain drives us to our knees.  Pain drives us towards God.  God is the source of our joy. 

C.S. Lewis wrote about this almost 2000 years after James.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean that God causes our pain.  The amazing thing is that God is present regardless of what we’re feeling.  We just tend to be more aware of Him when we are hurt.  We have a choice about how we respond to our pain.  We can blame Him for our pain, or we can come to the realization that we can experience joy despite the pain.  We can come to the realization that our circumstances don’t dictate whether we experience joy or not.  Joy is the natural result of closeness with God, through Jesus Christ.  Joy is the natural result of having the Holy Spirit in our lives.  If your pain drives you towards Jesus, then celebrate the pain. 

This also means that our joy isn’t dependent on other people.  People can rob your joy, only if you let them.  This doesn’t mean they can’t hurt you, but again, people don’t dictate whether we experience joy or not.  Only our response to Jesus will decide whether we have joy.

So, when you experience pain, let it drive you towards the One that is the source of all our joy.  Let Jesus carry your pain, and you can dance with joy!