Dear friends,

With so much in the world to weep about, I’m tempted to believe that sorrow has the final word, that suffering is the fundamental reality of life.

But then I think of the laugh of Desmond Tutu, the smile of Corrie ten Boom, and the unshakable heart of Jesus himself. 

And I remember the truth: joy is what is real. 

I’m talking about substantive joy — the kind that has known deep pain and grief. It doesn’t pretend everything’s just fine but it knows all shall be well. 

We can’t force our way into true joy but we can make room for it. In fact, making room for it is our calling.

The Apostle Paul says, ​“Celebrate God all day, every day.” That doesn’t mean we ignore hard situations, stuff uncomfortable emotions, and plaster a smile on our face. It means our central focus is on the unshakable reality of the Kingdom of God.

“One of the best ways to stay in touch with reality,” says Jan Johnson, ​“is to fully notice and even celebrate the good things that happen in our lives…. To notice these things is to live in reality!” 

If you’re someone like me who deeply values authenticity, this idea — that giving thanks is to live in reality — is a big deal. 

Because often when I give thanks there’s a nagging voice that points out, What right do you have to be thankful when so-and-so is suffering and this-or-that terrible situation is happening in the world. And that voice seems reasonable, logical. It almost convinces me that not giving thanks is the more spiritual thing to do. I don’t know where that voice is coming from but I do know it’s not the Lord. 

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart. (Psalm 9:1)

We can always choose thankfulness and rejoicing in God in this present moment without second guessing. It’s literally the will of God for our lives (1 Thes. 5:18). 

I’m still thinking about Desmond Tutu — there is something in the laugh of a man who’s seen and overcome terrible things that fills a heart with courage. Here are some of his words to buoy us up:

“Discovering more joy does not save us from the inevitability of hardship and heartbreak. In fact, we may cry more easily, but we will laugh more easily too. Perhaps we are just more alive. Yet as we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreaks without being broken.”