Joy

" There are reasons that we are where we are and who we are, and they are not random. It is the same way with joy in our lives. We tend to think of joy as something that ebbs and flows depending on life's circumstances. But we don't just lose joy, as though one day we have it and the next it's gone, oh darn. Joy is something that we have to choose and then work for."
Crazy Love by Francis Chan p. 146

This is challenging to me because it goes directly against the flow of our american christian church. We usually respond with joy only when our circumstances are calling for it. But what about where the root of all real joy comes from? The fact that everyday when we remind ourselves of the incredible truth of the gospel that we then must respond with joy when remembering who Christ is and what he has done for us. We then in light of the truth of the gospel must choose to fight for joy in all things no matter the circumstances.