Below I discuss my key take-aways, themes, and ideas drawn from the book.
The opening chapters explain the background of the book. A 90-day experiment by Mason to seek joy in every circumstance. Mason had the conviction that joy is a choice, and furthermore a command from God. My original reaction: “You can’t tell me how to feel, dude.” As I read more, the book challenged me to question the reasons behind my original reaction. The truth is, I don’t want anyone to tell me how to feel. When I’m grumpy, it’s more comfortable to remain grumpy than to submit my emotions to Christ. Not only that, but I want those around me to support me in my grumpiness. "Love me!"
It’s easy to hear teaching on how we as Christians should do a better job at choosing joy and to turn that teaching into an accomplishable task. Choosing joy becomes another thing “we” need to do. But Christianity is built on the premise that “we” can’t do what is right on our own. Choosing joy is the same. Submission is one of the prerequisites of joy in that we must first realize genuine joy will not come or be sustained in our own strength. Instead, we will find it when we submit to and trust the Holy Spirit, asking for help with a humble attitude of the heart.
The second prerequisite to joy is humility. One of the most difficult areas for me is having the humility to lay down my emotions before God, asking Him to speak into my emotions and situation. If I feel entitled to my anger or frustration, I am not going to cooperate with the gentle pull of the Spirit back into my joy.
The first part of repentance is to turn away with loathing from sin; the second part is to turn toward all the good things God offers in exchange. Indeed it’s impossible to turn away from greed without turning toward generosity, to put aside lust without taking up love, or to escape bitterness without embracing celebration. — Mason (p. 25)
Many people outside (and unfortunately inside) the church see Christianity seen as a religion of “DON’T”. Don’t drink. Don’t do drugs. Don’t miss church. Don’t lie. Don’t steal. Don’t cheat. Don't forget to read your Bible. Jesus did not fulfill the Law & the Prophets to make sure we put on our Sunday best, tuck in our shirts, go to church, act more polite, and read more. He did it so we might be restored. Restored to the joy that was intended for us from the beginning. And the immense sacrifice it took Him? It was His joy to do it (Heb. 12:1-2).
The Judeo-Christian religion is viewed as a strict religion yet even the rules of Judaism were not to keep the people in line. The "rules" were for their joy. “If you call the Sabbath a delight, then you will find your joy in the Lord.” (Is. 58:13, see also Mark 2:27-28). Mason asks the question, “How do I know that I know the gospel? I know it by the joy that it gives me.” (p. 22)
The distinguishing mark of true belief is delight. — Mason (p. 69)
Above I mentioned the humility required for this recognition. A humility I still have a long way to go.
From my experiment I know that too steady a focus on joy may actually lead to its opposite; inadvertently one begins to force good feelings until eventually little room remains to breathe or be human. — Mason (p. 44)
One of the unresolved challenges I have is how one can be honest with all the emotions that seem to be incompatible with joy. When I feel angry about an offense done to me, what does it look like to be angry and joyful at the same time? If I “choose” joy in those moments, am I just suppressing my emotion of anger and putting on a plastic smile? Mason seems to believe that it’s possible to feel both emotions simultaneously but doesn’t flesh out this idea to the extent I’d like.
Currently, I’m thinking of joy as an attitude, one that can be an undercurrent beneath any emotion that may arise. This undercurrent is fundamentally an attitude of trust. Trust in who I am (identity), trust in the story (God’s plans), and trust in the author of that story. When I’m angry, sad, depressed, anxious, or afraid, I hope to recognize the feeling and be able to be real, authentic, vulnerable, and accepting of what I feel. At the same time, I hope to have an undercurrent of joy - a trust that I am safe, I am loved, God is for me, and He sees me.