Surprised by Joy
Reunion artist Joy Williams has grown up a lot in the two years since graduating from high school, learning much from what she calls God's surprises.
by Mark Moring | posted 8/04/2003
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Joy Williams
turned down a record deal at age 14 because she wanted to be a regular high school student. She went on to excel in all areas—academics, sports, student government—and graduated at the top of her class. She probably would have qualified for an Ivy League school, but instead signed with
Reunion Records and moved from California to Nashville. What
about her education? She's learned aplenty. Read on …
Joy Williams
Your last CD, By Surprise, prompts my first question: What's been your biggest surprise in the last two years?
Joy: Too many to count—whether it's moving to Nashville from
California on my own or traveling for over 250 days in a year.
God surprises me almost daily, revealing things about himself,
and about me—like how much I try to white-knuckle my life and
how much I need to let go.
What has been the most difficult surprise?
Joy: Balancing relationships with my music career. I've had to learn to get beyond my frustration of just hearing people's voices on a cell phone. I prefer to see people live. I've been really
challenged to let go of what I think is a normal life, of what
would make me the most comfortable. I understood on a surface
level that a music career would really alter the course of my
life. But you never know exactly what you're signing up for. It's
been a learning experience, but I feel I'm doing what I should be
doing.
No regrets?
Joy: No, other than there were moments when I wish I could've slowed down a bit. For a while, I was running like a chicken with my head cut off.
I hear you're not all that comfortable with being in the spotlight.
Joy: True. It's a great privilege, but God can take it away as quickly as he gave it. So I'm always praying I won't do anything displeasing on or off stage. I pray I'll be like a piece of glass through which people can see God more clearly.
What you were like in high school?
Joy: I was happy on the outside. I was accomplished in school and sports and other activities. I was growing in my life with Christ. But I think I was unhappy because I neglected to be real with God. I also felt inadequate in certain areas. I felt uncool. I felt self-conscious. I felt body conscious. I felt boy conscious. Natural growing pains.
But you acted like you had it all together?
Joy: Yeah, I definitely did. I'm a pastor's kid. I knew how to smile even when I felt like crying. I couldn't let myself fail; I felt like I had to be perfect. I was unsure of where my identity was really rooted—if it was rooted in me, or in what I wore or who I hung with. I hadn't rooted myself in the Word, in my identity in Christ.
How have things changed since then?
Joy: My self-esteem has changed from being just an "issue" to a heart issue. It's not just something you talk about or read books on. It's where you ask God to open up your heart and stitch it back up. He had to take out the fallacies of what I rooted my identity in—performance, sports, friends, homecomings.
So that's the old definition of self-esteem. What's the new one?
Joy: One, it's knowing that no matter what I do, I'm never going to be perfect. Two, God loves me unconditionally. Three, because I'm loved unconditionally, I can walk in freedom and grace. Four, I can share that with other people, which gives me identity and confidence and a purpose in this life.
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