Have you ever considered the fact that you need joy? Has your heart been designed to require it, but you didn’t realize it? Is joy a necessary part of your overall health?

The word “joy” and its derivatives, is used in many different contexts in this adventure called life. According to the dictionary, if we “enjoy” an event or an occasion we are delighting or taking pleasure in it. To “Rejoice” is to feel or show great delight or joy.

“Joy” is defined as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” Synonyms include delight, jubilation, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss and ecstasy.

As I hear these words, I think, “I want to get me some of that.” They conger up feelings of well-being, of deep security. They may even bring back impressions of childhood delights, feelings which flourished before our hearts were seared by life’s pains.

We may get whiffs of joy as children, when we smell a cedar Christmas tree, see a white snowcapped mountain or taste grandmother’s fudge cake brownie. Our hearts come alive with these encounters, they fuel us, delight us. These eternal brushes awaken something deep within. We cry out for more, but aren’t sure where to find it.

These traces of joy can get lost in life’s sorrows. We lose the scent and hunt for it down roads of success, romance, popularity and pleasure. Like fool’s gold, these pretenders may bring a semblance of satisfaction, but eventually they fade and we’re left longing.

Have we been created for something far deeper than this world?

Consider the following verse, written by the wisest person who ever lived.  ^“He has made everything ^[appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart.” Ecclesiastes 3:11a

What if the deep longings you’ve felt all your life can only be filled by God Himself? What if all your empty pursuits, including seeking a happy life, were your vain attempts to solve a problem you could never solve on your own? What if only God can fill the void inside?

Challenge:  Think about what you think would complete you and give you inner satisfaction. It might be a life free of troubles. It could be embracing human love or being considered successful in life’s endeavors. Maybe you would feel fulfilled once your 401K is at a certain level.

Human history is filled with individuals who have proven these pursuits aren’t enough to satisfy the deep longings of the human soul. We can realize this now and turn to the One who does complete us. Or, we can keep on pursuing our worldly dreams until they prove to be empty and our lives are surrounded by the collateral damage of our choices.

Prayer: Lord, these longings deep inside are undeniable. You made me this way. You alone truly satisfy. Forgive me for thinking I could solve my need for inner fulfillment myself, with my own choices. Forgive me for trying to solve a problem I never could. Thank you for revealing how empty my worldly pursuits of pleasure, popularity, success, security and significance really are. You want to be my all in all. You tell me to offer my life as a living sacrifice. I surrender my life to you, knowing surrender is a continual act of my will.

Stay tuned for part 2.