Flourishing in Joy: Rooted in the Infinite Life of Christ
It was spring, and tiny green slivers of life peeked from every bare dirt patch and branch. Vibrant pink and purple hyacinths burst into bloom in our backyard, with sunshiny daffodils close behind. Everywhere I looked, I could see traces of hidden life, reawakened by the warmth of springtime. At the same time another kind of hidden life was growing in my womb in the form of a daughter.
Although these beautiful realities surrounded me, I felt desolate inside, as if all of my joy had dried up. I’d recently walked through an intensely painful relational issue that resulted in significant heartache and confusion. This, along with other disappointments, had me waking most days in dread and discouragement rather than delight—a harsh contrast to the vibrant displays in the world around me. The end felt nowhere in sight.
During this same time, my husband and I were considering names for our unborn daughter. We kept coming back to one we’d passed over before: Juniper. For each of our children, we’ve chosen verses that correspond with their name, and I knew there were references to juniper trees (or cypress) in Scripture. As I pondered the possibility of this name, I went to God’s Word to see where—and how—these trees were mentioned. This brought me to Isaiah 55.
In this chapter, God demonstrates His love and compassion by inviting anyone who will repent and believe to come to Him. In verses 12–13, He gives an illustration of what this redemption will produce:
“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress [juniper];
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” (ESV)
Although this ultimately refers to what the Lord will do in full when He returns, the picture of His work now in a renewed heart deeply ministered to me. Upon doing a bit of research, I discovered that juniper trees are known for being able to thrive in harsh, dry conditions. They flourish where it doesn’t make sense, replacing the “briers and thistles” that one would expect in such landscapes.
My daughter’s name, Juniper Allaire, encapsulates the idea of “flourishing in joy”—the joy of the Lord that doesn’t rely on circumstances. God used the process of choosing her name to remind me of this truth that I desperately needed. And He became more precious to me.
The Source of True Joy
As I learned in a significant way during those painful months, God desires for us to hold fast to the reality that He is the source of our joy. When the trials and burdens of life hit, our emotions naturally tell us that joy has blown away with the fair weather—the health, the smooth relationships, the stable job, the dream of a marriage or child.
But in His incredible kindness and love, God uses the stripping of outward happiness or familiar circumstances to test our faith and demonstrate that His joy is so much fuller and greater and stronger than those external winds. When drought hits, He proves that in Him our hearts can still flourish because we are rooted in Him.
We’ll feel it, yes, but it won’t shrivel us. Like the juniper tree in the middle of a desert, we can stand as a testimony of a source of nourishment that never runs dry, ministering to others through the life God continually renews in us.
God is the source of true and lasting joy. Therefore, when we have Him we have joy. He doesn’t dole out this joy like some sort of spiritual allowance—rather it’s the fruit of His life in us and found only in Him.
This kind of joy is astounding to behold because there’s no way to make sense of it from an earthly perspective. We only understand it when we realize that true joy comes from delighting in and living for God. Turning our gaze to Him is the key to experiencing it.
Too often we cling to joy created by circumstances rather than the joy found in the Lord’s presence, and in doing so, we miss the lasting joy that can’t be taken from us. And we quickly find out just how illusive and mist-like these feelings can be.
Two Questions to Ask
When our outward circumstances feel as if they threaten our joy—or if they’ve already stripped it away—here are two questions to realign us with the unending joy we have in Christ.
1. Is God’s Word shaping my thoughts about joy?
It’s easy to allow our feelings to be the lens through which we view our current state. Emotions have a good and helpful place in our lives, but when they drive our thinking or decision-making, they can lead us to draw faulty conclusions based solely on how a situation makes us feel.
Stressed? We must be lacking joy. Sorrowful? We must not have joy. But these thoughts directly contradict God’s Word—and His definition of joy.
Joy is much more than a fleeting feeling. It is a state of being grounded in the truth of Scripture. Like blossoms on a plant, feelings may bloom from it, but joy is the whole plant. While we’re in this sin-stained world, the blossom will wilt or be plucked. The plant, however, remains.
One day when we’re with the Lord, those blossoms will be full and never-ending because all will be made new. For now a significant part of this joy is to “consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials” (James 1:2). Not only can we have joy in spite of trials, we can have joy because of the trials, knowing what they are producing in us.
2. How might God be using this trial?
I know this can be a tender question, because in our culture, we often feel pressured to rush past suffering. Most, if not all of us, have likely been the recipient of trite, insensitive comments that brush over the trial we’re facing. Often these comments only add to the sorrow we feel.
However, throughout the Bible we see examples of how God used trials to grow and strengthen those enduring them. Consider the story of Joseph, when after a decades-long string of injustices, he was able to say, “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people” (Gen. 50:20).
In the New Testament, the writers of the epistles constantly urged their readers to think this way by recognizing the significance of their trials. They knew that great suffering required great hope—hope found in a great Savior who paid the ultimate price so that we could live.
As Paul wrote to believers who were experiencing intense hardship, “Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:16–17).
He doesn’t call these trials “light” because they’re no big deal but because they pale in comparison with what they’re preparing us for—perfect and complete joy we can’t fully comprehend. These trials strengthen our inner life, enabling us to grow spiritually stronger and more beautiful with each passing day.
Rooted in Him
Psalm 34:5 says, “Those who look to him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed.”
Because God will never remove His presence from His children, His joy will never be removed either. Like the juniper, we’ll be a spiritually thriving beacon of a life source deeper and greater than what can be seen. The storms and droughts might cause some branches to snap or the green to be less vibrant at times, but our roots will remain secure in Him and His joy. Forever.
The message of freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ is spreading far and wide—like a river that cannot be stopped. It’s reaching more women, leading them to thrive in Christ, and shaping lives for generations to come. Would you prayerfully join us in this work? We’d love to send you the 50 Promises to Live By Card Set this month as our thanks for your donation of any amount to help women thrive in Christ. May it be a constant reminder of God’s unchanging care for you.
