Joel 1:12
“The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.”
I was recently listening to the late legendary coach Jimmy Valvano give his famous speech in 1993. Jimmy Valvano was the head coach of North Carolina State University who, against all odds, won the 1983 NCAA Basketball Tournament. His team was considered the “Cinderella team.” Jimmy V, as he was known, was sick with cancer when he gave this famous speech. He said there were three things people should do every day, and one of those three things was to laugh. These were inspiring words to hear from someone who was fighting cancer.
The verse above says that the vine, fig tree, pomegranate tree and palm tree were drying up and dying because there was no joy “from the sons of men.” God is teaching that the lack of joy causes things to die. In other words, not having joy is a silent killer. We certainly are concerned about things that kill people, and there are some things over which we have no control, but we do have control over whether or not we are joyful. Being joyful is a choice. You can choose from whence your joy comes.
If I were to tell you that I had a cure for cancer, you would certainly be interested in that cure and especially if you had a family member fighting cancer. If I told you that I know where you can get a cure for multiple sclerosis, you would want to know where to go if you or a loved one were dealing with this horrible disease. Yet, the Scriptures give us a cure from life withering away, and that cure is joy. Life doesn’t have to be a drudgery that we must go through. It can be something in which we are joyful, and that joy will keep your life from withering away.
Too many churches are places where there is no joy. If you were to walk into the average church, you would find a place that looks and feels more like a funeral service than a church service. Far too often we equate worship with solemness and no laughter. Yes, there are times when we should be solemn in church, but I believe that church should be a place where God’s people smile, laugh and enjoy what He is doing in their midst.
Moreover, your home should be a place where there is joy. If you want the life of your home to continue, then you better learn to make it a place of joy. Sadly, more homes are places of fighting and squabbling than they are places of joy. You might find that your children would enjoy being home if they felt that home was a place of joy.
One of the ways you are going to keep joy in your church and home is to keep the drama of life from controlling them. Certainly, we all have our drama with which we must deal, but it doesn’t have to control our atmospheres. Deal with the drama of life, but don’t let the drama of life dictate the atmosphere of your home and church.
Furthermore, you can keep the joy in your home and church by laughing. Yes, you can laugh. Laughter is a good medicine. God says in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…” Mr. Valvano was right when he said that we should laugh everyday. Laughter is the medicine of life that keeps joy alive.
Friend, let me encourage you keep the silent killer of no joy away from your home and church. Decide to be the one who cheer up every place you go. If you must change your personality, then do it for the sake of life. Let joy become a part of your personality, and you will find that the drama of life will not kill the atmosphere of the places you love.