What Overflowing Joy Looks Like

A few years ago, I accidentally caused a flood in our house.

Our laundry room is on the second floor. We have one of those big, deep, laundry room sinks in there.

I put the plug in the drain and turned the water on. I needed to soak something for a while, so I just let the water run. Meanwhile, I did some other things around the house.

45 minutes later, as I was downstairs in the kitchen, I heard something that caught my attention.

It was the sound of a waterfall.

In a panic, I remembered the laundry room sink with the plug in the drain and the water on full-blast.

As I ran upstairs, I was horrified to discover that water was everywhere. It had run down the hall and even traveled from one room to the next. In desperation mode, I had every towel we own soaking up water. And when I went downstairs to get the Shop Vac, I looked up at the ceiling in our living room…

There was water dripping from the ceiling.

My heart sank.

I had ruined our new home.

The overflowing water traveled where it wasn’t invited and didn’t belong. It touched everything—going through the walls and levels in our house. The overflowing water went to unexpected places.

This is exactly what overflowing joy looks like: it touches everything. It goes through walls and barriers and ends up in the most unexpected places.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. —James 1.2 NLT

Overflowing joy can be found in the most unlikely places.

In the middle of difficulty, trial, and trouble? Yes, joy reaches there too.

Joy goes where it “doesn’t belong.”

As Christians, we’ve never been promised an easy, trouble-free, exempt from pain and difficulty kind-of-life.

But we do have the abiding presence of our God. He is with us and he is for us. Because our God is with us and for us, we have a constant, overflowing reservoir of peace and joy in our lives—like Snoqualmie Falls during flood season. Have you been there before? The spray and mist from the falls gets everywhere…

For the past 3 1/2 years, my mom has been battling blood cancer. Because of the cancer, her kidneys have failed—so she has dialysis 3 times a week, along with chemo treatments. She’s had a constant stream of surgeries and doctor appointments.

To say she’s been experiencing trouble, pain, and difficulty would be an understatement.

And I’ve never seen my mom more full of joy than she is right now.

That’s what overflowing joy looks like.

It touches everything. It goes through walls and barriers and ends up in the most unexpected places.

Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks! —John 16.24 MSG