Choose Joy

Last week, I worked for the final time as a counselor at the camp I spent the past three summers dedicating hours of my life. I’ve made some of the most meaningful memories while working at this place — watching children come to Christ, having an absolute blast goofing off with my counselor friends, and experiencing an immense growth in my own faith, just to name a few — so my expectations going into the week were high. Turns out, I did experience an immense growth in my faith. Just not in the way I would have initially chosen. 

My glorious expectations were swiftly obliterated by the harsh reality of what the next five days held for me. After just the first day of camp, I honestly wasn’t sure if I would last until the end of the week. 

That week was particularly rough for me in many ways. Many of the counselors I had befriended and grew close to over the years were not working this week, so I lacked a lot of the support and security to which I had grown accustomed. I was moved to an age group I had never worked with before, and I had to learn to adjust my approach to best connect with these children. I was tasked with roles and responsibilities that I did not enjoy. I had to lead in ways I hadn’t yet experienced. And not to mention the weather; the highs throughout the week dangerously approached 100 F. 

With the Olympics underway, I would stay up at night much longer than I probably should have. And due to the busyness that college preparations bring, I decided it was necessary for me to to wake up at five a.m. to fit in all my responsibilities for the day before I had to leave for camp. So, during this time, the amount of sleep I was getting was nowhere near sufficient to get me through the day (which was completely my fault; I have learned my lesson about the detriments of lack of sleep). 

I felt out of place and alone. I felt unprepared and inexperienced. I felt dehydrated and exhausted. 

I remember one day in particular waking up at five after a mere four-and-a-half-hour-long night of sleep, hearing my alarm in my dark room and seriously considering whether or not I should get up. I felt like a sleep-deprived zombie as I walked onto the camp property. I avoided everyone until the counselor meeting, unwilling to muster up the energy to turn on my social brain. I was fully prepared to go through the day in this manner. I was fully prepared to use my fatigue as an excuse not to do my job well, or to shirk out on some of my responsibilities. I was fully prepared to give up on my efforts to be a light to those around me before the day had even officially started. 

But during the counselor meeting, the Holy Spirit brought a specific verse into my mind: “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). 

The joy of the Lord is my strength. 

At that moment, I felt anything but strong. But I had a choice. 

I could choose to let complaints and negativity overtake my mind, or I could choose to take my thoughts captive and redirect my thoughts to how privileged I am to teach these children about the gospel. I could choose to succumb to my lack of energy by avoiding people whenever possible, or I could choose to rely on the Lord for the strength to go out of my way to bless those around me. I could choose to let the enemy win by using my weariness as an excuse not to let God’s light shine through me, or I could choose to worship a little more during songs, look a little harder for ways to show love to the children, and be a little more intentional to help and encourage my fellow counselors. Because of the Lord’s work in my heart, I could choose joy. 

From that moment on, I made the decision to walk through the day with joy and not let my less than ideal situation prevent me from doing the Lord’s work. However, I quickly realized that my sinful self was nowhere near strong enough to resist the negativity that ran rampant through my body. It was so difficult for me to keep my mind fixed on God and my actions dedicated to His glory. So I asked God for help. I actually had to ask Him several times throughout the day to fill me with the strength to persevere until it was time for me to go home. The more I turned to Him, the more I called upon His Name in ernest desperation, the easier it became for me to remember what I was thankful for and to step into my work with intentional positivity. Over time, I began to see the ways in which God was blessing me that week. I grew close with many of the children I hadn’t gotten the chance to interact with previously, I made friends with a couple of the counselors, and I learned more about being a true leader than I had ever before. By the end of the day, I was enjoying myself so much that I had nearly forgotten about my rough start and was eager to continue working the next morning. 

It is easy to choose joy when your circumstances are easy. Anyone, whether believers or unbelievers, can do this with ease. But what separates believers is their ability to be joyful in less than ideal circumstances. This is because joy is a fruit of the spirit; it takes the work of the Holy Spirit in one’s heart for them to have the ability to harness this quenchable joy. 

If Jesus is living in you, the choice to walk in joy is yours. 

And the times when the choice is difficult are the best opportunities to display the fruit of God’s work in your heart, shining a light to those who don’t yet know Him.