THE CONTAGION OF JOY

Joy is contagious.  It not only spreads like a virus, but it also changes people who come in contact with it.

“You fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Psalm 16:11

Over the last several years, we’ve been forced to learn about contagion by living through the pandemic. 

We knew early on how quickly the Covid 19 virus spread and what steps we could take to prevent it from multiplying among the population.  This, indeed, was something that was very contagious and very harmful. 

But believe it or not, not everything that’s contagious is harmful.

It’s been said that laughter is contagious—and it is!

But another contagious thing is JOY!

No one physically “catches” joy like you catch a virus.  It doesn’t enter your body in any physical sense.  But when someone is constantly joyful, their joy tends to rub off on you.  Thus, you “catch” it!

There have actually been studies made on the subject of the contagion of joy. 

Researchers affiliated with Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Diego, have studied joy and its causes and effects.

Their research shows that our relationships with others may affect joy the most.  Joy is rooted in our connection to others and spreads through our social networks.  Researchers found that people with a solid social network tend to be more joyful, and joyful people choose to be friends with other joyful people.  Again, joy is “catching!”

Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard Medical School, says, “Joy isn’t just one big event,” but the accrual of smaller, incremental steps, such as feeling gratitude and helping others.  Rather than asking how we can find joy, we should be asking how we can increase joy all around us.  When you are positive in your own life, those effects ripple out from you, and you can find yourself surrounded by the same positivity you encouraged.”

In other words, your joy is contagious and comes back to you!

I read a great article on contagious joy by Max Lucado.

In it, he says that God wants His children to be joy-filled.  He says, “God is not interested in putting a temporary smile on your face.  He wants to deposit a resilient hope in your heart.  He has no interest in giving you a shallow happiness that melts in the heat of adversity.  But He does offer you a joy:  a deep-seated, heart-felt, honest-to-goodness, ballistic strong sense of joy that can weather the most difficult of storms.”

I don’t know about you, but I want some of that!

Max goes on to say there are two types of joy:  One is contingent joy, which depends on the right set of circumstances.  We say, “I’ll be happy when I get married, or when I find the right house, or if I get that certain job.”  But since we can’t always control our circumstances, we set ourselves up for disappointment.  Therefore, no joy.

The second type of joy is courageous joy.  This is the kind of joy where we can face any circumstance and still emerge with a joyful heart.  Max says, “Courageous joy sets the hope of the heart on Jesus and Jesus alone.  Since no one can take your Christ, no one can take your joy.” 

A joy that remains courageous through the storms of life is destined to become a contagious joy.  And as you walk in that joy personally, people will be drawn to you. 

God longs for us to experience a deep-seated, deeply rooted joy.

How do we do that?

First and foremost, develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  He is our joy-giver.  He says in John 15:11, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”  Jesus has joy He wants to give us.  When you know Him personally, you can take all your cares to Him—everything that bothers you—and He will provide you with a peace that leads to joy because you are free.  Does that mean you’ll never have problems?  Of course not!  Life will bring problems, no matter how closely we walk with Jesus.  But knowing He is with us in those problems brings peace that passes understanding.  And that leaves plenty of room for joy!

I’ve been asked many times if my joy is real.

Many times in the past, especially at work, I’ve had people ask if I really am joyful or if I am putting on an act?  Well, I’m not joyful every minute of every day, but overall, I really am joyful.  When asked about it, I am happy to answer it’s because I have Jesus in my life.  He has healed me of so many wounds, has lifted so many burdens from me, and has given me so many blessings that I feel incredibly free to be all He created me to be—and one of those things is a very joyful woman!

If you’ve seen the movie “Scrooge,” you will recall the scene in his bedroom on Christmas morning, after all three spirits have visited him and he realizes he has been given a second chance at life.  He skips and dances around his bedroom, saying, “I don’t know what to do!  I’m as light as a feather!  I’m as happy as an angel!  I’m as merry as a schoolboy!  I’m as giddy as a drunken man!”  Scrooge’s behavior in that scene, especially contrasted with his behavior throughout the movie, is that of someone feeling pure joy.  He can’t keep it inside—it spills over onto everyone around him.  It’s contagious!

Psalm 16 tells us that in God’s presence is “fullness of joy.”

Walk closely with God.  Share all your burdens with Him.  And if you feel too downcast to spread any joy, ask Him to give you a heart of joy.  Ask Him to show you what’s in the way of your knowing pure joy.  He will be delighted to answer you.  And I hope, like Scrooge and like me, you will be set free to be the joyous person God created you to be!