My son is fascinated with hidden treasure and pirates. For Christmas, several gifts he got were these blocks of stone (plaster of paris) where he had to chip away at it to find hidden treasure. He would sit and chip away slowly sometimes, other times he would get in a hurry and smash it with the mallet. Some of the rocks and jewels would come out easily and others would be a little harder to get out, buried deep in the layers of the rock. Chip, chip, blow the dust off, hammer, hammer, blow the dust off, repeat. It took a little while but eventually the tiny treasures would be loose. He would dip them in the water to rinse off the dust and then they would shine.
I was reminded of a sometimes hidden treasure in our lives: joy. Sometimes, joy is easily found- usually when things are going pretty well or there are happy times. Other times, joy is often buried deep beneath the layers of hard times, grief, loss, questioning life’s circumstances. I’ve always struggled with anxiety but the past few months, it’s been a little stronger than usual. Besides the struggles of every day life, throw in a pandemic and being in the middle of an adoption in the middle of a pandemic- struggle bus! I came across Psalm 94:19 two different times in the same day and I honestly don’t think I had ever read it before or at least taken the time to let the words sink in.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:19. NIV
When I think of consoling someone, it’s usually after a pain or loss. To console someone means to bring great comfort. When you are consoling someone, you are physically with them. You are in their presence. Anxiety is often displayed by physical reactions: headache, racing heart, sweaty palms, racing thoughts, etc. All these things are within us. It can make you feel very alone and isolated. If we look at this verse and apply it to real life anxiety, we are not alone. Whenever we feel anxiety, God is right there with us. I am in His presence. His presence and comfort alone brings joy and calms my anxious heart and mind.
James 1: 2-3 NIV says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Notice that it says “when you face trials”, not if. Trials of life can’t be avoided, no matter how hard we try to avoid them. I think the key is how prepared we are for when they come and how we respond when they do come. Pure joy comes only from God- from resting and trusting in His promises. You can’t buy it, you can’t conjure it up, you can’t create it. You have to dig deep to find it. You have to chip away at the rock, knocking off big and little pieces. It means taking the time to let God sweep off the dust, and polish the treasure that lies beneath the layers of pain and trials. The treasure that is found becomes one of the greatest gifts: true joy.
Joy is a gift. It’s a gift that comes in different packaging, It’s also a treasure to be found. Treasure that is often buried beneath layers of pain, one that we may have to look closely to find because it’s buried in the ashes of broken dreams. We have to choose to receive the hidden gift that is joy- choosing to rejoice, even if it’s finding joy in the dark.