“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

(Psalm 51:12 NIV11)

What should we feel when we don’t feel joy?

It is easy to get nervous that we are doing something wrong, to feel anxious that we need to correct the ship, to feel like we need to coverup / move on from our un-joyfulness as quickly as possible– “Pay no attention to the un-joyful person behind the curtain!” We develop an assumption that un-joyfulness is wrong, and that we aren’t quit up to snuff if we experience it.

But is this correct?

Why wouldn’t we feel joy? In a world in which Christ has saved us, what possible reason could we have for inconsistent joy?

Sin is a good reason. It is appropriate to feel the weight of one’s sin and therefore feel the lack of joy. Mourning and grief are different from joy, and they have their appropriate place.

Instead of feeling shame or anxiety about mourning, grief, or un-joyfulness because of sin, we need to turn to Christ. Don’t mourn towards despair; mourn towards Christ. Don’t grieve towards despair; grieve towards Christ. Don’t assume un-joyfulness separates you from Christ; send those feelings towards Christ. Look to Christ. Christ has redeemed, but sin is still present in the world until Christ’s final victory. Where sin is present, you will find un-joyfulness, mourning, and grief.  Knowing the hope of the gospel, it would be weird not to feel mourning and grief in the presence of sin.

Make room for both grief and joy. Grieve the gap between the current reality and Christ’s promised reality. Turn to Christ. Long for Him. Remember your salvation and the full message of the gospel. Ask for Him to restore the joy of your salvation and to sustain you with His Spirit.

“Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me;

Christ to comfort and restore me;

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”

– The Shield of St. Patrick

David Lang, St. Patrick of Ireland (Biographical Sketch), paragraph 394.