I once took karate for about 3 weeks, I was only about 4 years away from getting my black belt so that pretty much makes me an expert…RIGHT? So I want to teach you a highly specialized form of spiritual combat…joy jiu jitsu.
During my extensive training I learned a few things:
* Make sure that your karate belt is tied, otherwise you can really embarrass yourself.
* the concept behind jiu jitsu is that a small, weaker person can defend themselves against a bigger, stronger person by using the right leverage. It’s not about what you have, it’s about how you use what you have.
* In martial arts there are exercises that you go through called “katas”. A kata is a series of steps that you go through to practice & position yourself. It’s best to follow each move with a loud grunting noise. Katas are all about remembering what you need to know & rehearsing in your mind where you need to be.
In joy jiu jitsu we have a kata too, it’s something to know, remember and continually run through to prepare for the fight.
Here is our joy jiu jitsu kata: “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
Our joy jiu jitsu kata reminds us that we have an unseen strength. Even when we face impossibly big problems we can let joy be our leverage.
JOY is not a feeling or happy little buzz, it’s a deep knowing that life may not always be fun or easy, but it’s always a gift so I will treat it as such. It’s a inner peace that everything is gonna be alright that causes you to rejoice regardless of outward circumstances.
Happiness & Joy are two completely different things. Happiness is based on circumstances. If everything is going your way…if you are getting what you want…you are happy.
Joy is not about what is happening TO you, it’s about what happened IN you.
Joy is never out of reach, even in the darkest times. Joy is based on the unsinkable fact that God loves you & you can trust Him.
It’s all about remembering what you need to know & rehearsing in your mind where you need to be.
Here’s an example: one of the hardest times of my life was also one of the most tangibly joyful. When my Dad passed away, he was unconscious in the hospital for eight days before he moved on. During that time our family came together in a stuffy waiting room. We cried, we hugged each other, we remembered, we cried some more…but, we also laughed, we shared old stories about Dad that gave us guts full of fresh laughter, we pulled pranks on each other, my Uncle Bill and I took a remote control fart machine on an elevator and made …umm…new friends. This probably sounds really strange if you haven’t walked through it.
But, We were able to laugh in the worst of times because we were able to hope.
We had the hope of heaven…of family reunions.
I had the hope that my earthly father was safe in the arms of my Heavenly Father.
We had the hope of a God, whose love is stronger than whatever opponent is staring us down.
Leverage…
I can beat this because I have hope…
I can beat this because I’m loved…
I have joy because I can beat this.
Happiness is born of circumstance.
Joy is born of hope.
carbonated joy 