The Long Road to a Precociously Fruitful Joy

Masculinity, I’m sure, has a rough enough edge to it that we males of the world will often shrink from being precociously exposed.

What I mean is this: we don’t want to be ‘cute’ or seen as vulnerable or sensitive. We don’t want to pander to the silly frivolity of those around us when we’re serious; when there’s work to be done, or when we’re just not in the mood.

But the central point of the article is this: the Holy Spirit’s joy is a faithful happiness that is ever fruitful – a first fruit of the Spirit. Being embodied of Spirit will well mean we are occasionally blessed to ‘suffer’ such frivolity, especially where relationship matters count the most.

Many males, for instance, struggle with the reality television phase the world is going through – it’s very precocious in a carnal sort of way. The exhibitor of the Spirit’s joy will humour the moment and bear the precociousness of it.

From the angle of discipleship – to follow Christ with zealously humble ardour – joy is the fruit of such a life. Where we see the sustenance of joy we see a seriously viable disciple. Of course, the purpose of the disciple is to serve the Kingdom...

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Discipleship’s task is to anoint,
To assert, to equip, to elevate,
To create potential enough to appoint,
A Kingdom person thereby to participate.

The delights of a disciple’s joy,
Are exhumed when the Spirit empowers,
A precocious humility to employ,
That will sustain them through the hours.

The disciple’s sustenance is of the order,
Of magnitudes on high,
Obeying every holy border,
Faithful joy that climbs through the sky.

The Spirit’s all-faithful joy,
Will often be put to the test,
That test is how easy we are to annoy,
When joy is the only way we can rest.

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Our test of joy is how easy we are to annoy. Joy is hence a strength of the fruit of humility. A person at joy cannot be threatened in any way to premature anger – not even indignant reactions for smart-alecky precociousness.

If we are to be Jesus’ ambassador in the world we are to be full of precociously fruitful joy, never easily angered by the precociousness of others.

So joy is the antidote for anger, because joy learns to laugh at the indignant weakness in our anger. Joy has no reason to judge. It is strengthened by the fruit of humility.

© 2015 S. J. Wickham.