How to Become a Joyful Warrior During Tough Times
*A song that was taught to us as young Christian children.* I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart [clap, clap, clap] Down in my heart. [clap, clap, clap] Down in my heart I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart Down in my heart to stay I've got the love of Jesus down in my heart [clap, clap, clap] Down in my heart. [clap, clap, clap] Down in my heart I've got the love of Jesus down in my heart Down in my heart to stay. I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart [clap, clap, clap] Down in my heart. [clap, clap, clap] Down in my heart I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart Down in my heart to stay
When Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, was introduced as the 2024 Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States, he thanked his running mate, sitting Vice President, Kamala Harris for “bringing back the joy.” Since then, many have regarded the pair as happy or joyful warriors. I’ve already written about how I believe our Vice President’s laughter is an asset for her. Now I think it’s time to drill down specifically on joy and how to tap into it during tough times.
I remember a spell of time when people were differentiating between joy and happiness. I won’t expend much energy splitting hairs. But I do believe there is something transcendent and life giving about joy that renders simply “being happy” as the lesser of the two. Joy is what makes the oxymoron of “happy warrior” even possible. But let’s level-set with a definition for joy.
a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated
Of course we all understand that to be a warrior is to be engaged in a fight on some level. Warriors aren’t out living their best lives, kickin’ it with their homies with no care in the world. Rather the cares of the world are on their shoulders. How is it even possible to take on such heaviness with joy? Quite frankly some people don’t take it on with joy. But if the goal is to come out on the other side with our souls intact and our spirits uplifted, joy is not only crucial, it is central.
Joy is not really an emotion, in my estimation. Joy is spiritual energy. Scripture tells us that joy is among the fruit of the spirit. As such it wields a different power. It is power. It is strength in and of itself. Joy defies logic. Joy is indescribable. Many gospel artists call it unspeakable. It cannot be contained. It cannot be limited solely to happy circumstances. As such joy should not be denied, suppressed, or stifled. When it comes to tough times, joy says that trouble don’t last always. Joy lightens heavy loads. Joy says that the worst is NOT inevitable. Joy says that the worst does not have the final say.
Some close friends of mine lost their eldest daughter in a car accident. One of the most devastating losses for any person to experience. At times, I didn’t know if the support I had to offer would even make a dent in their grief. Then about two, maybe 3 weeks after the accident, I heard my friend laugh. She was going through her daughter’s belongings from the crash site. She came across a pair of shoes and began to cry. Then she realized the shoes belonged to one of her sons, not the daughter she lost and began to laugh at herself. To me, her laughter in that moment was one of the first signals that she was going to be alright.
When we pair joy with patience, our tests of patience become less aggravating. We become empowered to embrace the test because in the end we know we will be better for it. Joy also goes hand-in-hand with purpose. Part of the reason people find themselves unhappy in their lives is a lack of fulfillment. They don’t see meaning, value or satisfaction in their pursuits. They do not experience pleasure in their work lives and/or their lives outside of work. What they are experiencing, referring back to its definition, is a lack of joy.
That lack of joy is profound. It's a void that leaves us weary and often hopeless. And that hopelessness in turn breeds helplessness. We begin to lose our strength. We begin to lose our will to fight, even the good fights of faith we are worthy of. What makes joyful warriors unique is not necessarily that they are joyful about the fight itself. Rather they have joy in their day to day lives. Their lives aren’t perfect but they experience enjoyment, satisfaction, gratitude, love, connection, belonging, peace, purpose, goodness, healing, faith, hope, stability, wholeness, abundance, appreciation, etc.
They are often living the lives they are fighting for. The joy they’ve experienced is now a mandate in their lives. They appreciate it. They value it. They express it. They are not interested in losing it. They actually want to spread it because they don’t feel shortchanged in life. And because they don’t feel shortchanged, they show up as their better selves. And because they show up as their better selves, they are happy to fight on behalf of the greater good.
Sound familiar? In case you are not familiar, what I just described is indeed the tagline of Harmonious Balance. If Harmonious Balance were to have a mascot it would be the joyful warrior. Perhaps I should go ahead and make that happen.
I will leave you with one of my favorite commercials from this summer’s Olympics.
Onward to joy and Harmonious Balance, my friends!
Johanna
**For customized content requests,1:1 coaching and/or speaking inquiries, feel free to contact me.**