You Are My Joy

So I just got back from Choir Tour. It was probably the best choir tour I have been on. Even though I missed some old friends, the tour went incredibly well. I enjoyed my time with new friends that I had met and had fun with a lot of old friends too. Tour this year was not like most tours. We traveled further than we normally have done in the past. I really enjoyed meeting people in different places, and yes, even in the "country" places. The places I expected to be like stepping into the movie "Deliverance" were not that way at all. Well maybe in some places I was wondering when the guys with the banjos were going to come out, but they never did.
Somewhere in between Atlanta and Glencoe, Alabama I found myself listening to David Crowder's song "You Are My Joy". I became infatuated with the song. It was ridiculous, almost to the point that my Roommate, Robert, asked me multiple times what are you listening to, and my response would always be "David Crowder". I am sure he thought I was completely off my rocker. I love breaking down music, and finding why they were written. After listening to this song over and over and over, I FIGURED IT OUT! David Crowder had to have written this song to mimic laughter.
The song starts out "He set me on fire, and I'm burning alive, with this breath in my lungs, I am coming undone. (repeat all of that) And I cannot hold it in." How many times have you found something hysterically funny and you find your self trying to hold the laughter in? I do all the time. I notice that sometimes I get this burning sensation in my chest. It's really weird! But we all know that sooner or later, that laughter comes out and you cannot contain it anymore.
The next part says " I cannot hold it in and remain composed. Love has taken over me, so I propose to letting myself go." Ok so when I started to break down this part of the song, I started to realize how frustrated I get with people like Crowder is describing. I am talking about those people that laugh at EVERYTHING! The people who make a joke about their sweet tea on the table at supper or the people who laugh at absolutely nothing, like the "cute" dog outside. But then I understood. . .When love takes over you, laughing at everything is, ok. I find that women can find this state of happiness and joy more easily than men. Why is this? I believe women find this easier, especially Christian women, because they have this weird sense in understanding what love means. Men we just want to hang out and be noticed. Our definition of love consists of unselfishness that means we will not burden other people, where as women believe that love is more of a bearing each other's burden. That is the way C.S. Lewis sees it in his book "The Screwtape Letters"(a book that ripped apart on tour in 2 days). I say all of this to say those giddy girls that seem to laugh at everything seem to be the ones that are in touch with, at least with the human definition of Love. David Crowder is stating in his song, that the Agape (Godly) definition of Love has caused so much Joy that he laughs, hysterically in fact. The chorus comes bearing four words that build just like a huge belly laugh, "You are My Joy, You are My Joy, You are My Joy, YOU ARE MY----JOY-----------------" Then he asks simply for the listener to give him a moment to breathe and exhale. Then a beautiful violin solo comes in that simply relaxes, but over about a 30 second period during the song it builds back up to the chorus that screams laughter "You are My Joy" comes back!
I started thinking about this musical moment and how it settles down but the big huge chorus just keeps coming back. There was this one time that I went to eat with some friends at a Chinese Restaurant, I can't remember exactly what was said, but my friend said something and I could not stop laughing. I would be done laughing and 30 minutes later I would just bust out laughing again. I think this is what Crowder is trying to describe. When you feel true Joy which can only be given through Christ, laughing is not only easy to do, but is hard NOT to do.
So I think this is my goal for the next week, find something that I cannot laugh about. Even if it is the most serious events. If in light of Jesus Christ, I still take everything TOO seriously, then I am not experiencing the joy that he died for on the cross.


Thanks for Listening,

Joshua Morton