While attending a meeting this week I heard the phrase “a joyful disciple” in terms of what being a Christian was really all about and it was used in the context that I should be helping to create “joyful disciples”.   I started to zone in on that phrase and wondered to myself, am I even a joyful disciple and is that what others see in me?  If I’m not one, I sure don’t know how I’m going to inspire anyone else to be one!   I feel like it’s getting harder all the time to become or stay joyful.  I think I’m on the road to being a disciple but I wouldn’t commit to saying I was joyful about everything that’s going on in the world today.

I voted on Saturday morning and the only thing joyful about that was that it was over.  I hate to admit that I wasn’t even able to vote for the lesser of two evils this time, as they both, on any given day, are equally evil in my mind.  One is ready to abort babies at 9 months and the other is calling women every name you can think of, so as a female it’s an election full of negativity, insults and lies.  So is it better to go with the devil you know or the one you don’t?

I was joyful that I no longer needed to agonize about who I was going to vote for, it’s done.  Once I was free of the voting booth, I headed outside and started to make my way towards my husband and I’s regular breakfast cafe.  As I was walking, I found myself basking in the sunlight of the beautiful morning and I thanked God for the opportunity to live in a free country where I could vote.  Soon I joined my husband, who had waited for a table for us, to enjoy breakfast tacos.  Upon reaching our table I felt myself becoming thankful that I could be out enjoying this time on a Saturday morning and a feeling of happiness spread through me.  So joy was there if I wanted to look for it and so was God.

But it does seem that the joyful feeling eludes me so often and I get caught up in the negative world around me.  I think I forget to focus on God and realize that every day is not perfect.  Life is not perfect.  Perfect is for the next life, not this one.  If I’m going to focus on being a joyful disciple, then somehow the bad things that happen in life need to be accepted and not let them interfere with my joy in being a disciple.  I actually have begun to realize that being a “joyous disciple” doesn’t mean that I’m joyous about everything in life.  I’ve come to realize that it means I’m joyous in my belief of Christ and joyous about being able to be a follower of Christ.

I’m joyous in the knowledge that God is with me at all times and is watching over me.  God is with me in all the difficulties and I rejoice in the fact that even when life deals up sorrow, God is there to share the pain.  I couldn’t rejoice in the events of last Saturday evening when two cars started racing on a local street and one car lost control, hit a van and tossed it onto the sidewalk where it rolled over on top of a dad and his daughter out for a Saturday walk in the sunshine, just like me that morning.  They were both killed instantly only a hundred yards from where I walked and enjoyed the early morning rays a short time ago.  But I did rejoice in the knowledge that God would be there to comfort them and comfort me in the sorrow of such a needless accident.

Maybe I’m not a “joyous disciple” all the time, but at least I think I’ve come to the realization that I can be joyous all the time in my belief of God and that I am a disciple of Christ.  I am a follower of Christ and as such know that it isn’t always a joyous road, as neither was Christ’s.  There was death, lies, traitors and every other sort of pain, sorrow and hurt imaginable bestowed on Him also, so why should I expect anything less.  And yet He rejoiced in the love of his Father and asks us to follow Him to be with our Father in heaven.  Hallelujah!