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Key Bible Verse: You trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy (1 Peter 1:8). Bonus Reading: Psalm 119:14–16, 55–56

By nature I'm a sober personality. I don't gush, and I never have. More than a few of my friends have mistaken my somber expression for a critical spirit. People like me don't come naturally to joy and thanksgiving. The instinct may be in our souls, but it's deeply buried. And yet we too are commanded to rejoice. The truth is, we need to rejoice. Joy releases our better selves. It relaxes our spirits. We aren't healthy people unless we learn to rejoice.

However, we have to do it in a way that suits us. And here is a very basic and important point: you don't have to be perky in order to be joyful. Joy can be quiet or loud, Pentecostal or Presbyterian. It can be done in the style of a Florida State cheerleader or in the calm manner of a college professor. There are many approaches to joy.

I spent many years feeling uncomfortable around others' more exuberant expressions of joy. For example, charismatic praise services made me extremely anxious, because I wanted to join in whole-heartedly and yet felt too inhibited. Eventually, I recognized that there are lots of ways to praise God, that culture has a large role in what we feel comfortable with, and that it's okay to be quiet in a noisy assembly.

—Tim Stafford in Never Mind the Joneses

My Response: My natural approach to joy is …

Thought to Apply: Joy is the feeling of grinning on the inside. —Melba Colgrove (physician)

Adapted from Never Mind the Joneses (InterVarsity, 2004) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me pursue passing pleasures less and relish the enduring joy of Your presence more.

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