Having lived for a season with depression, I understand via
the distinct contrast between it and joy how the latter is a genius quality.
When I came out of the depression, I noticed with surprise
that everything appeared markedly more vivid than it had before. Colors –
whether the hues of autumn leaves or the glow of neon lights – shone more
brightly. The sounds of birds and cars and voices resonated more clearly. The
tastes of spices and the various scents in my environment stood out. The facial
features of friends and loved ones seemed more sharply defined. And I became
“alive” again to interactions with those around me, more fully engaging in
relationship with friends and strangers alike. It was like coming out of a
long, dark tunnel and bursting forth into Narnia after Aslan’s arrival.
Only in hindsight could I see how dull everything had
appeared in my depression and how disengaged I’d been from others and from my
own soul. In that state, I’d been in survival mode, struggling just to get through
each day. I’d been completely uninterested in and unable to accomplish anything
creative or compelling. In other words, my God-given genius – joy and the other
qualities with which we’re all innately gifted – had been paralyzed,
locked in a vice grip of emotional dysfunction. As I came out of it, my
sensitivity, curiosity, and joy woke anew. But I had to come out of it to get
there.
Of course, emotional dysfunction is one of several factors
that shuts down any person’s genius qualities. And because the loss of joy saps
energy, humor, playfulness and the rest, it is, perhaps, one of the main
warning signs that something is wrong within the heart of a child or adult.
So we want to do what we can to maintain joy. But how is
that possible in the midst of personal difficulty and the societal strife that
surrounds and threatens to engulf us?
We first need to understand the true definition of joy. It
is not “happiness.” If it were, the scriptural admonition to “count it all joy”
(James 1.2) would be cruel. One cannot be “happy” when a job is lost, a house
burns to the ground, or a dear loved one is snatched away from this life, and
it would be terrible to suggest such a thing. However, we can have “joy”
in such circumstances – if we understand that joy is not the giddy glee
of happiness. Instead, it’s actually the presence of a deep, internal
conviction that all things will eventually work out for good.
People often believe they’ve lost their joy; I felt that in
my depression. But it’s not true. I’d actually just become so overwhelmed by
temporary circumstances that the natural joy within me was stifled – a common
and understandable reaction to stress that I simply didn’t realize until later.
Now, though, I understand the dynamics, and I realize I have a choice in the
matter. I’ll obviously continue to experience events that bring frustration and
sadness, and I will, of course, not always be happy. Yet I can choose to refuse
to allow my joy to be suffocated, so that it and my other God-given genius
qualities might remain viable. In the midst of hurt and tragedy, that takes
work. But it’s possible and it’s worth it.
Do you agree?
*****
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