As a young woman, I resisted answering the “glass half full” or “glass half empty” question. I didn’t want to be pigeonholed.
Instead, I preferred to think of myself as a realist. Someone who looked at the “facts” and didn’t get caught up in the hype. Unfortunately, my twenty-something self wasn’t able to recognize that my real issue was that I didn’t know how to reconcile my tendency toward melancholy with the fact that joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).
Living in the tension of joy and sorrow isn’t easy, yet we see it throughout scripture. In the Psalms. In Acts. In Paul’s letters. Many of the Psalms begin with a plea for deliverance and end in praise. The followers of Jesus suffered greatly for the gospel yet were exceedingly joyful. Paul was in prison when he wrote Philippians, but he still found many reasons to rejoice.
At times I’ve wondered, what’s the deal with these joyful people? Are they out of touch with reality? How can they be so happy when everything around them is falling apart?
Oddly, my question actually reveals the answer.
Yes, everything around them is a mess, but their hearts aren’t set on earthly things. It’s not that this life doesn’t matter. It does. But there are realities beyond what we can see. Realities that can carry us through the darkest valleys.
So what are these realities?
God’s faithfulness in history
Throughout scripture, we hear God’s people recounting God’s mighty works. He rescued them from slavery in Egypt and brought them into the land he promised them. He faithfully pursued them even when they chased after foreign gods. He brought them back from exile in Babylon. Then, in the fullness of time, he sent his son to redeem them from sin and death.
These aren’t just children’s Sunday school lessons. They’re our story too. We’ve been grafted into the people of God. He has rescued us from our slavery to sin. He pursues us when we turn away from him. He sent Jesus to redeem us from sin and death.
God’s promises for the future
Just as God was at work among his people in the past, he has also promised that we will dwell with him in eternity. But eternity won’t just be a continuation of life as we know it now. Rather, we will experience unspeakable joy. Our glass won’t just be half full – it will be overflowing (Psalm 23:5).
Because we live in a fallen world, it’s hard for us to imagine life without sin and sorrow. But if we look carefully at Scripture, we get glimpses of the life to come.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15 that we will be changed at the coming of Christ. We will no longer be perishable and mortal. But it’s not just our bodies that will be changed. Revelation 21 tells us there will be a new heaven and earth because the first heaven and earth had passed away and God will dwell with his people there.
God’s Spirit indwelling us in the present
When it comes to joy in the present, God’s past faithfulness and his future promises help keep us grounded. Obviously, this doesn’t magically deliver us from the trials we’re facing in this life, but it gives us reason to trust God in the midst of them.
In our culture, there are endless ways that people seek joy. But these avenues only provide temporary relief. We’re looking for joy in all the wrong places.
We miss the fact that joy flows from the Holy Spirit who indwells us, and we don’t have to conjure it up on our own. Instead, as we recall the Lord’s past faithfulness and remind ourselves of his future promises, the result is that our hearts are filled with joy.
We don’t have to act like happy-clappy Christians, pretending that everything is peachy. This is good news for those of us who feel guilty because we’re not always bouncing up and down with enthusiasm.
Asking whether the glass is half empty or half full isn’t the right question. For God’s people, the cup is overflowing. Because of God’s faithfulness, we have reason to rejoice – even in the midst of sorrow.
What are some of the ways you see evidence of God’s faithfulness in your own life?
Shelley